A Taxonomic Study Of The Genus Conicera From China (diptera: Phoridae)

The genus Conicera belongs to subfamily Phorinae, family Phoridae, superfamily Phoroidea, Diptera. Presently 36 species were known worldwide and 9 species from China. The species of genus Conicera mainly feed on decaying materials, so some species of this genus can be used as forensic entomology. And some other species are beneficial insects for agriculture.During the study, more than 200 specimens of genus Conicera collected from 18 provinces or autonomous regions of China were prepared and identified. In this paper,23 species were recorded, of which 9 species were described as new to science and 5 species were reported for the first time in China. The further distribution records for 4 known species were added. A preliminary analysis to the faunistic characteristics of the genus were given. In this paper, there were 60 figures,37 photos. The key to subgenus and species were given.New species of genus Conicera from China (9 species):Conicera digitalis sp.nov., C. penuristylata sp.nov., C. triangularis sp.nov., C. angusticaudata sp.nov., C. dentata sp.nov., C. obtusidentis sp.nov., C. laterifolia sp.nov., C. campana sp.nov., C. nigericaudata sp.nov.New records from China (5 species):C. similis Schmitz, C. tibialis Schmitz, C. gracilis Michailovskaya, C. quadrata Michailovskaya, C. schnittmanni Schmitz.