Taxonomic revision of the genus Aberdareleria (Diptera, Heleomyzidae, Oecotheini) with description of a new species from China
The genus Aberdareleria Woźnica, 1993 (Diptera: Heleomyzidae) was previously considered monotypic and endemic to the Aberdare Mountains, Kenya. Here, we describe A. qinghaiensis sp. nov. from Qinghai Province, China, marking the first record of the genus outside the Aberdare Mountains in Kenya and revealing a remarkable Afrotropical-Palearctic disjunction (>6000 km). The new species differs significantly from A. freidbergi, in traits such as having reduced setae on the mid tibia (only anterodorsal and posterodorsal setae) and only spine-like setae on the female cercus (absence of hair-like setae). Through a taxonomic revision of the genus, we provide a diagnostic key, detailed morphological comparisons, and discuss the biogeographic implications of this transcontinental distribution, suggesting either ancient vicariance or avian-mediated dispersal. This discovery highlights the underestimated diversity of high-altitude Diptera in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
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