A new mycophagous species of the genus Gaurax Loew, 1863 (Diptera: Chloropidae) from Benin, Africa.

A special survey was undertaken to study the insects living in the sporophores of Basidiomycota in Benin, Africa. Three specimens of Chloropidae, which are described here as a new species of Gaurax Loew, were reared from two fruiting bodies of different species of fungi: Amanita subviscosa Beeli and a species of Boletaceae. The fungi were collected from Miombo woodlands in Central Benin. Fruiting bodies were placed in plastic containers covered with nylon gauze, while sawdust was used as a pupariation substrate. Details of collecting localities and the method of insect rearing have also been described by Disney et al. (2013). The new species belongs to the worldwide genus Gaurax Loew, which includes 157 known species, the majority of which are from the Australasian region (Pape & Evenhuis 2013, Nartshuk & Andersson 2013). Only three species are so far recorded from the Afrotropical region (Sabrosky 1980, Pape & Evenhuis 2013).