Paraphiura Beyer 1966

Genus Paraphiura Beyer, 1966

Type species. Paraphiura australis Beyer, 1966: 171.

Beyer (1966) assigned this genus to the tribe Beckerinini, which has traditionally been distinguished from the Metopinini by the different inclination of the supraantennal bristles. In Beckerinini the SAs are ‘porrect’ (inlined forward horizontally), often divergently, or ‘reclinate’ (inclined upwards). Those of the Metopinini are ‘proclinate’ (inclined forwards and downwards). Genera lacking SAs have been somewhat arbitrarily assigned to one of these tribes on the basis of a general resemblance to genera previously assigned to the tribe in question.

In the case of Paraphiura Beyer assigned it to the Beckerinini on the basis of a single pair of divergent SAs; having given the frontal bristle formula as 4-4-4 plus two divergent SA bristles. However, the head of his only specimen (see below) was damaged, with its palps being lost altogether. It seems that this damage also resulted in the loss of one of the two pairs of SA bristles, and that Beyer failed to observe their sockets. There are not only four (not two) SA bristles in the type species of this genus but the upper pair is proclinate and the lower pair is divergent and reclinate (figure 60A). This situation indicates that the precise inclination of the SA bristles is not a reliable diagnostic character for distinguishing the two tribes. Indeed the shift from proclinate SAs to these bristles being more porrect or reclinate seems to be largely a secondary consequence of a shortening of the frons (e.g. figure 60A). Such a shortening appears to have occurred independently in a number of phorid genera and cannot be regarded as a unique synapomorphy. I therefore formally propose the transfer of this genus to the Metopinini and the abolition of the tribe Beckeriini as it is presently conceived.