Trichotoca Jaschhof & Jaschhof, 2008

Jaschhof, Mathias & Jaschhof, Catrin, 2008, Catotrichinae (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Tasmania, with the description of Trichotoca edentula gen. et sp. n., Zootaxa 1966 (1), pp. 53-61 : 54

Genus Trichotoca Jaschhof & Jaschhof gen. n.

Type species: Trichotoca edentula sp. n.

Diagnosis. Trichotoca differs from Catotricha , which comprises the other living catotrichines, as follows (character states in Catotricha in parentheses). The eye-bridge is complete (incomplete). The metanotum is setose (asetose). The wings are very narrow, with length/width ratios between 3.0–3.4 (2.6–3.1). The legs bear scales in addition to ordinary setae. Female antennal flagellomeres resemble those of males in having long necks (very short or no necks) and in the necks bearing hair-shaped translucent sensilla (without such sensilla). Of the male terminalia, the gonostyli are one-lobed (two-lobed) and bear an apical claw of spines merged with one another, or no apical structure (the smaller of the lobes bears apically a large, flat, rounded spine or flat, setose extension); the tegmen is cleft along its longitudinal axis and bears a pair of apical processes (tegmen without cleft and apical processes); the ejaculatory apodeme is long and simple, rod-like (stout and variously modified); and tergite 9 bears apicolateral lobes (without lobes).

Relationships. The genus Trichotoca comprises two species in Australia, T. edentula sp. n. and T. fraterna (Jaschhof) . It is sister-group to Catotricha , the genus containing two species in North America and three in Palaearctic Asia. The two Trichotoca species differ in numerous characters, particularly of the male terminalia. These differences might even warrant the generic separation of Trichotoca fraterna from edentula (see below), a point that must be reconsidered as the catotrichines of the southern continents become better known. Etymology. The name Trichotoca is a near anagram of Catotricha , which is the name of a closely related genus. The gender is feminine.