A new perspective on Icriomastax (Diptera: Tipulidae): phylogeny and description of five new species

Icriomastax Enderlein, 1912, stat rev. historically treated as a subgenus of Ischnotoma Skuse, 1890, has remained taxonomically neglected since the description of its last species in 1945. Here, we provide a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the group, based on a matrix with 153 morphological characters across 61 taxa. Parsimony analyses under equal and implied weighting consistently recovered Icriomastax as a monophyletic group, supporting its elevation to full genus status. In contrast, Ischnotoma and Holorusia Loew, 1863 were recovered as paraphyletic, and the position of Is. (Neotipula) remained unstable, reinforcing the need for a broader review of Ischnotoma sensu lato. Additionally, we describe five new species: Icriomastax catia sp. nov., Icriomastax coscaroni sp. nov., Icriomastax craigi sp. nov., Icriomastax lopesae sp. nov., and Icriomastax monnei sp. nov. These results provide a new and consistent taxonomic framework and highlight the relevance of morphology-based systematics for underexplored lineages in Tipulidae. Our results raise questions about Southern Hemispheric diversification patterns in Tipulidae and offer a basis for future integrative studies combining morphological and molecular data.