Abstract
The Japanese species of Asteiidae are revised. Six species of Asteia Meigen, 1830, are recorded here in addition to Astiosoma okinawae Sabrosky, 1957, hitherto recorded from Japan. Among them, Asteia gemina, A. longistylus, A. lunaris, and A. nigrigena are described as new to science. Asteia angustipennis Duda, 1934, and A. megalophthalma Duda, 1927, are recorded from Japan for the first time. There are conspicuous morphological differences in the male and female genitalia of the seven species of Asteia. It is suggested that Asteia angustipennis, A. concinna, and A. gemina are very closely related and may be reproductively isolated because of their body markings and male genitalia. These species are assigned to the concinna group of Asteia, newly designated in this study. A key to Japanese species and distribution maps are provided.
Highlights
The Asteiidae are a small family consisting of approxi mately 100 species and 11 genera (Sabrosky, 1987; Yang & Zhang, 1996)
There are few reports comparing the male genitalia of species and the female genitalia, e.g. vagina and ventral receptacle have not been described, except the spermathecae
Five of the species could be classified into two groups based on the morphology of the male distiphallus: the A . amoena and A. concinna groups
Summary
The Asteiidae are a small family consisting of approxi mately 100 species and 11 genera (Sabrosky, 1987; Yang & Zhang, 1996). The asteiid fauna of the Palaearctic Region is well-known, comprising 41 species assigned to four genera (Papp, 1984; Yang & Zhang, 1996; CarlesTolra, 1998). 19 species and four genera are recorded from the area around Japan, such as Mongo lia, China, Korea, and the Far East of Russia (Duda, 1934; Papp, 1972, 1974; Yang & Zhang, 1996). From the Oriental Region, 11 species in three genera and an undetermined species of Phlebosotera Duda, 1927, are known. Six species of Asteia and Astiosoma okinawae Sabrosky, 1957, have been recorded from Taiwan and the Ryukyus (Japan), respectively (Sabrosky, 1977). The knowledge of the Japanese fauna of Asteiidae is based on the original records for Astiosoma okinawae and undetermined species. Male and female genitalia of the species of Asteia are compared, and the diversity and usefulness of these structures for classification and reproductive isolation within the genus are discussed
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