A new genus of taeniapterine Micropezidae (Diptera) from the Mascarene Islands

Abstract. Courtoisia , a new genus of rarely encountered taeniapterine Micropezidae (Diptera), is described from the Mascarene Islands of Réunion and Mauritius. The affinities of Courtoisia with other Old World genera of Taeniap-terinae, most notably those from the Afrotropical Region, are discussed. A possible derivation of Courtoisia from ancestral stock of the African genus Cephalosphen Hennig, 1934 is suggested. A tentative theory to explain the dispersal of a founder population from Africa to the Mascarene Islands is discussed. Courtoisia was erected to accommodate Calobata apicalis and C.trinotata , both described from Réunion by Macquart in 1851. Both species are redescribed on the basis of all available material and a lectotype is designated for Calobata trinotata. A key to the species of Courtoisia is presented.