A taxonomic revision of the pipunculid fly genus Chalarus Walker, with particular reference to the European fauna

Twenty-one species of Chalarus Walker are described from Europe, 11 of them new. The puparial remains of 15 species are described. Type material of all previously described Chalarus species except C. velutinus (Macquart, 1835) was examined. The status of C. holosericeus (Meigen, 1824) is revised, and exiguus (Haliday, 1833) is confirmed as a valid species. Lectotypes are designated for C. holosericeus and C. spurius (Fallén, 1816). Five species-groups are tentatively proposed. Separate keys to females and males are given. The status of Chalarus species described from outside Europe is discussed, and two of these, C. kamijoi Morakote, in Morakote & Hirashima (1990) and C. konishii Morakote, in Morakote & Hirashima (1990), are synonymized with fimbriatus Coe and exiguus (Haliday) respectively. The functional significance of some taxonomic characters, particularly of the eyes and ovipositor, is discussed.