Taxonomic Revision of D. carlosvilelai Vela and Rafael, 2001, and Updated Record of D. paraguayensis Duda, 1927 Registry in Ecuador †

Drosophila carlosvilelai and D. paraguayensis are species that were collected in the Pasochoa Protected Forest between 1996 and 1997. D. carlosvilelai was described incompletely as a new species from Ecuador. Regarding D. paraguayensis, recent collections have raised doubts about the validity of its records in Ecuador. Specifically, a new species found in the province of Napo fully matches the specimens of D. paraguayensis recorded in the Pasochoa Protective Forest. However, this new species does not match the description of D. paraguayensis by Vilela and Bächli. The collected specimens, preserved in alcohol, were analyzed at the Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva. D. carlosvilelai was re-described based on the newly collected specimens. The species previously misidentified as D. paraguayensis is described as D. paraloewi sp. nov. and compared with D. paraguayensis, D. loewi, and D. hemiloewi. This analysis revealed that the aedeagus of D. paraloewi shares the dorsal structure of triangular projection on the aedeagus with D. loewi and D. hemiloewi; this morphological similarity suggests a closer phylogenetic relationship between them, rather than D. paraguayensis.