# Rhamphempis, a New Genus of Empidini (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae) of the New World, with Descriptions of Five New Species from French Guiana and the Eastern United States

## TL;DR

A new genus of dance flies called Rhamphempis is discovered in French Guiana and the U.S., with five new species described.

## Contribution

The paper introduces Rhamphempis, a new genus of dance flies, and describes five new species with unique morphological and geographic characteristics.

## Key findings

- Rhamphempis is a new genus of empidine dance flies with five new species identified.
- The genus has a disjunct geographic distribution between French Guiana and the United States.
- Morphological traits distinguish Rhamphempis from other empidine genera.

## Abstract

A new genus of empidine dance fly, namely Rhamphempis, is described with five new species included. The new genus is recorded from French Guiana and the United States of America. The peculiar disjunct geographic distribution of Rhamphempis is discussed.

The genus Rhamphempis gen. nov. (Diptera: Empididae: Empidinae: Empidini) is described and includes the following five new species from French Guiana and the USA: Rhamphempis concava sp. nov. (France: French Guiana, Roura); R. distincta sp. nov. (France: French Guiana, Roura); R. mirifica sp. nov. (France: French Guiana, Régina); R. montreuili sp. nov. (Type species, France: French Guiana, Mitaraka, Roura, St-Georges-de-l’Oyapock); and R. septentrionalis sp. nov. (USA: Maryland, College Park). The genus differs from other empidine genera by the following combination of characters: scape and postpedicel lengthened, proboscis long, strongly sclerotised with labella as long as prementum bearing annulations, wing with R2+3 somewhat shortened, more or less recurved at pterostigma, R4+5 unforked, base of abdomen yellowish in male, brownish to blackish in female, male pregenital segments strongly modified and postabdomen more or less downcurved, presence of large surstylus, very fine and long phallus. The genus is fully illustrated and keyed along with a discussion of its peculiar disjunct geographic distribution and its phylogenetic relationship within the tribe Empidini.