Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from the Eocene amber deposits of Cambay and Kutch Basins, India

Abstract

The family Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from the Eocene amber of the Cambay and Kutch, India is reviewed. Based on a sample of 38 inclusions, the fauna preserved in amber reveals that the family was well-differentiated by early the Eocene. Palaeomedeterus cambayensis Bickel sp. nov. is described and provisionally assigned to the Peloropeodinae, and is congeneric with European Baltic amber species, suggesting the genus was widespread for a considerable time period in both Europe and India. Two small-sized new monotypic genera are also described, Gujaratmyia rotunda Bickel gen. et sp. nov. and Rajpardia grimaldii Bickel gen. et sp. nov. Also included are undescribed members of the dolichopodid subfamilies Diaphorinae and Medeterinae, and unplaced species. The Baltic amber species Prohercostomus noxialis (Meunier, 1907) is regarded as the new senior synonym of Sympycnites primaevus Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999, described with a mistaken provenance of Cretaceous Lebanese amber.