Revision, cladistics and biogeography of the Neotropical, genus Souzalopesmyia Albuquerque (Diptera: Muscidae)

Souzalopesmyia Albuquerque, a monophyletic Neotropical muscid genus of five species, is reviewed to include two new species, Souzalopesmyia paraensis Carvalho, new species (Brazil: Para), and Souzalopesmyia sulina Carvalho, new species (Paraguay: Canindeyu). Ground plan characters of the Phaoniinae as outgroup were used in a cladistic analysis of the genus. The phylogenetic relationships found are (S. amazonica (S. paraensis (S. singularis, S. sulina)) (S. carioca)) and these seem to support at least two biogeographical hypotheses: 1, The basal clade, S. amazonica, suggests a date of origin for the genus as far back as the Late Cretaceous; 2, The occurrence of S. paraensis in Belem, along south side of the Amazon River, suggests a single dispersal event to colonize that region, in a more recent time, which belongs to the northwestern track.