The first termitophilous scuttle fly (Diptera: Phoridae) reported from Papua New Guinea

Eutermiphora tropicola is described from a series of females from colonies of Niuginitermes variratae in Papua New Guinea. It Is a sibling species of the Australian E. abdominalis. These two species appear to be more recently evolved than the Australian E. watsoni thus suggesting that this only known endemic genus of Australasian termitophilous Phoridae originated in Australia. The only tropical region from which no termitophilous Phoridae have been reported is Papua New Guinea and its associated islands (Disney 1999). RHLD therefore wrote to YR to enquire as to whether he had collected any Phoridae during his extensive studies of termites in this region (e.g. Roisin & Pasteels 1996). He replied that despite assiduous searching, they had collected only two samples, which he then sent to RHLD. These proved to belong to a new species of the hitherto exclusively Australian genus Eutermiphora Lea. It is described below.