A REVISION OF THE FAMILY TETHINIDAE (DIPTERA) FROM THE CARIBBEAN, GULF-OF-MEXICO, AND BERMUDA

Beach flies (Diptera: Tethinidae) of the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, an d Bermuda are revised. The beach-fly fauna of this area comprises thre e genera (Dasyrhicnoessa, Pelomyiella, and Tethina) and 12 species, in cluding the following new species (type locality in parenthesis): Teth ina albitarsa (ECUADOR. Manabi: Bahia), T. cohiba (GRAND CAYMAN. Georg e Town Harbour (19 degrees 18'N, 81 degrees 22.9'W)), T. lisae (JAMAIC A. Clarendon: Jackson Bay (17 degrees 44.7'N, 77 degrees 12.6'W)). Fiv e new synonyms are proposed (junior synonyms cited first): Tethina chi lensis Malloch = Rhicnoessa texana Malloch, Tethina carioca Prado and Tavares and Rhicnoessa variseta Melander = Rhicnoessa willistoni Melan der, Tethina brasiliensis Prado and Tavares and Rhicnoessa seriata Mel ander Tethina xanthopoda Williston. Dasyrhicnoessa lasiophthalma was p robably introduced into the region. The remaining species tend to be w idespread and frequently are locally abundant. These factors have cont ributed in part to some species being described multiple times.