Paragodon

Paragodon paragoides is a small (4–5 mm) hoverfly which differs from other hoverflies by its simple male genitalia, and was accordingly considered the most primitive microdontine species. It is the sole member of the genus Paragodon, as the other known species was removed to a separate genus, Surimyia.

Body length: 4–5 mm. Small flies with short antennae and oval abdomen. Head slightly wider than thorax. Face convex; narrower than an eye. Lateral oral margins not produced. Vertex flat. Occiput ventrally narrow, dorsally widened. Eye bare. Eye margins in male not converging at level of frons, with mutual distance about three times as large as width of antennal fossa. Antennal fossa about as wide as high. Antenna shorter than distance between antennal fossa and anterior oral margin; basoflagellomere longer than scape, oval, about 1.5 times as long as wide, bare. Postpronotum pilose. Scutellum semicircular; without calcars. Anepisternum convex; pilose anteriorly and posterodorsally, widely bare in between. Anepimeron bare or with a few thick, seta-like pile dorsally. Katepimeron convex; bare. Wing: vein R4+5 without posterior appendix; vein M1 straight, perpendicular to vein R4+5; postero-apical corner of cell r4+5 rectangular, with small appendix; crossvein r-m located very close to base of cell dm. Abdomen oval, about 1.5 times as long as wide. Tergites 3 and 4 fused. Sternite 1 bare. Male genitalia: phallus unfurcate, straight, projecting only little beyond apex of hypandrium; hypandrium with bulb-like base; epandrium without ventrolateral ridge; surstylus unfurcate.

Described species: 1. Central America (Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama).