A revision of a spring-active clade of Prosoeca Schiner, 1867 (Diptera, Nemestrinidae), keystone pollinators from the Greater Cape Floristic Region in South Africa, with descriptions of three new species
Prosoeca Schiner, 1867 is the most diverse genus of Nemestrinidae in Africa and is endemic to southern Africa. The 37 described species in this genus are all thought to be important pollinators for the plants that they visit. A recent phylogenetic study has shown that the diversity of this group is far larger than is formally recognised. Using of the phylogeny published by Theron et al. (2020), the monophyletic clade of six species from the Succulent Karoo that are on the wing during the spring flowering season are revised. The known species are redescribed and three new species are described: Prosoeca ora sp. nov., P. aquilo sp. nov., and P. parva sp. nov. A lectotype is designated for Prosoeca peringueyi Lichtwardt, 1920. DNA barcodes have been generated for five species to aid molecular identification of species.
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