Cratomyia macrorrhyncha, a Lower Cretaceous brachyceran fossil from the Santana Formation, Brazil, representing a new species, genus and family of the Stratiomyomorpha (Diptera)

A new fossil Brachycera (Diptera), Cratomyia macrorrhyncha gen. n. & sp. n. is described from the Santana Formation, Lower Cretaceous, situated on the Araripe Basin (Northeastern Brazil). Its remarkable features are the large body size, very long proboscis, antenna with multi-articled flagellum, rob ust thorax and abdomen, and wing characters like the abbreviated costal vei n, distally forked veins R4+5 and M1+2, strongly arched M-1, and closed cel ls m(3) and cup. The new genus and species does not reasonably fit in any o f the existing families and a new family, Cratomyiidae is proposed. The sys tematic position of the family is discussed. Reasons are given for not incl uding it in the following higher taxa of Brachycera: Xylophagomorpha, Taban omorpha, Vermileonomorpha, Asilomorpha, and Eremoneura. The Cratomyiidae ar e included in Stratiomyomorpha as the sister-group of Xylomyidae + Stratiom yidae, above the origin of Pantophthalmidae.