A KEY FOR THE SPECIES AND GROUPS OF THE AFROTROPICAL POECILOSOMELLA (incl. species of P. angulata species group) 1 Fore tarsomeres 2–5 or all the fore tarsi white. 2 well developed pairs of katepisternal setae. 2 – Fore tarsomeres incl. basitarsus may be light (yellow) but not white, or, fore tarsomeres 1 to 3 white. Anterior katepisternal seta may be reduced. 3 2 Wing clear, only apex of vein R 2+3 diffuse brown. Vein R 2+3 without even a short vein appendage. Postgonite (Fig. 55) with narrow basal part and broad apical part. P. hyalipennis HACKMAN, 1965 – Wing richly patterned (Fig. 69), R 2+3 with or without a vein appendage. Postgonite long, broadened at its middle (Figs 7, 13). P. pallidimana species group (P. additionalis sp. n., P. pallidimana (DUDA, 1925)) 3 Cercal part of the male epandrial complex with a simple sagittal projection (Fig. 35), surstylus compact (i.e. lobes not long or emerging, Figs 36–37). Mid basitarsus (usually shorter) with thick black setae, at least a complete anteroventral row, always present. P. angulata species group 5 – Cerci and surstylus are different (e.g. Figs 46–47, 59–60). Mid basitarsus (usually longer) with rows of at least 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral rows of small flexible, mostly not black setae. 4 4 Genal seta always present, moderate or strong. Wings not intensively patterned, costa overruns apex of R 4+5 considerably, a vein appendage at terminal curvature of vein R 2+3 present or absent. Male sternite 6 and 7 complex with large medial parts, forming a second vault below epandrium. Cerci (pseudocerci) without large lobes, caudally with or without 2 ridges. Subepandrial sclerites broader than high. Surstylus consist largely of 3 parts: caudal process with large black thick thorn, cranial lobe with more or less long setae and a “membranous” smaller lobe between them, which bears shorter thin setae. Postgonite with thin basal half and broad apical half, latter covered by thin hairs (at least partly). P. longecostata species group (P. capensis L. PAPP, 1990, P. kittenbergeri sp. n., P. longecostata (DUDA, 1925), P. occulta sp. n.) – Other set of characters. Other Poecilosomella spp. (P. arnaudi L. PAPP, 1990, P. duploseriata sp. n., P. setimanus sp. n. and P. setosissima sp. n.) 5 First radial cell with an additional crossvein, halving cell into two. A single long fronto-orbital seta present. Togo, Zaire, Uganda, Sudan P. mirabilis VANSCHUYTBROECK, 1951 – First radial cell normal. Two pairs of fronto-orbital setae 6 6 All fore basitarsus light. Costal vein continued distinctly beyond apex of R 4+5. Vein R 4+5 strongly, S-shaped sinuate. Vein R 2+3 with vein appendage. Genal seta rather weak. Also anterior katepisternal seta distinct. Abdominal tergites 1 and 2 conspicuously desclerotised medially. Male surstylus very large, with extremely large cranially curved process and very thick strong apical thorn. Widespread in Africa P. maxima (VANSCHUYTBROECK, 1950) – At least base of fore basitarsus dark. Costal vein terminates at apex of R 4+5. Vein R 4+5 less strongly, not S-shaped curved. Vein R 2+3 mostly without a vein appendage. Desclerotisation of abdominal tergites 1 and 2 indistinct. Male surstylus smaller, compact, without a cranially curved process and only with a small apical thorn. 7 7 Mid basitarsus with 3 rows of stronger setae: an anterior row, a strong anteroventral row and a complete row of posteroventral setae. Dorsal half of male hind tibia with normal setae. Male genitalia (PAPP 1991: figs 6–10): cerci less separated from epandrium (fig. 6), apical thorn of surstylus longer and more caudally positioned (figs 7–8), than in P. parangulata; postgonite (fig. 10) curved, angular in lateral view, apical part narrower and its setulae longer. Female spermathecae (PAPP 1990: fig. 1) slightly ovoid, sclerotised ducts somewhat shorter than in P. parangulata. Originally Afrotropical, but human activity has made it widespread in South and Central America (incl. the Caribbean’s) and also in North America up to Florida and Texas; in the Palaearctic found on the Canary Is. P. angulata (THOMSON, 1869) – Only the anteroventral row of setae is strong on mid basitarsus; only 2 or 3 posteroventral setae present and only thin normal setae are in the anterior row. Dorsal half of male hind tibia with short thick sharp spiniform setae (Fig. 33). Male genitalia (Figs 34–41): cerci more separated from epandrium (Fig. 35), apical thorn of surstylus shorter and more centrally positioned (Figs 36–37), than in P. angulata; postgonite (Fig. 39) not angular curved, apical part thicker and its setulae shorter. Some of the female genital parts (Figs 42–45) also characteristic, spermathecae (Fig. 45) globular with slightly longer sclerotised ducts than in P. angulata. Southern Africa P. parangulata sp. n.

Published as part of Papp, L., 2010, Seven New Afrotropical Species Of Poecilosomella Duda (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae), pp. 9-41 in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 56 (1) on pages 38-40, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5731944