Increasing the diversity of Sycorax Haliday, 1839 (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Neotropical region: New species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract Four new species of Sycorax Haliday, 1839 are described: Sycorax alumna sp. nov. , Sycorax catarina sp. nov. , Sycorax paranaensis sp. nov. , and Sycorax striga sp. nov. , with the females of Sycorax striga sp. nov. bearing characteristics that suggest haematophagous behaviour. Novel defining characters were used for the first time in a taxonomic work on the Sycoracinae. All described species were collected from parts of the Atlantic Forest in Southern Brazil, significantly expanding the distribution of the genus in South America. The morphology of the new species was compared with the known fauna of Sycoracinae, both Neotropical and from other biogeographical regions.