Belongs within: Ceratopogonidae.
The Sphaeromiini are a group of biting midges whose females have a series of stout, blunt spines on the underside of the fifth tarsomere (Downes & Wirth 1981).
Characters (from Downes & Wirth 1981): Female antenna with 13 flagellomeres. Wing with M forking at or before crossvein r-m, medial fork sessile. Tarsomere 5 of female armed ventrally with stout black blunt spines (batonnets). Female abdomen without internal sclerotized gland rods; sternite 8 of female often with pair of hair tufts.
<==SphaeromiiniDW81 |--SphaeromiasDW81 | |--S. albomarginatusS89 | `--S. longipennisDW81 |--Jenkinshelea magnipennisDW81 |--LaneheleaBSG09 |--NeobezziaBSG09 |--Macropeza Meigen 1818DW81, S89 | |--M. albitarsis [=Chironomus (Macropeza) albitarsis]G20 | `--M. blantoniDW81 |--NilobezziaDW81 | |--N. minorDW81 | `--N. schwarziiBSG09 |--ProbezziaDW81 | |--P. concinnaDW81 | `--P. pallidaDW81 |--JohannsenomyiaDW81 | |--J. argentataDW81 | |--J. blantoniBSG09 | `--J. swinhoieiP92 `--MallochoheleaDW81 |--M. albibasisDW81 |--M. pullataBSG09 `--M. smithiDW81
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[BSG09] Borkent, A., G. R. Spinelli & W. L. Grogan Jr. 2009. Ceratopogonidae (biting midges, purrujas). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 407–435. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.
[DW81] Downes, J. A., & W. W. Wirth. 1981. Ceratopogonidae. In: McAlpine, J. F., B. V. Peterson, G. E. Shewell, H. J. Teskey, J. R. Vockeroth & D. S. Wood (eds) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 pp. 393–421. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.
[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.
[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.
[S89] Skuse, F. A. A. 1889. Diptera of Australia. Part VI.—The Chironomidae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 4 (2): 215–311, pls 11–14.