Bromeloecia aurita Yau and Marshall, 2018

Yau, Tiffany & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the genus Bromeloecia Spuler (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae), Zootaxa 4445 (1), pp. 1-115 : 53-58

Bromeloecia aurita Yau and Marshall sp. n.

(Figs. 11.1–11.17)

Description: Body length 1.1–1.3 mm (males), 1.0– 1.3 mm (females).

Head: Frons uniformly brown, frontal vitta sometimes paler at base of interfrontal setae. Postocellar setae large and parallel. Paravertical setae small and converging. Interfrontal setae in 4 pairs. Length of anterior fronto-orbital seta 0.8x posterior seta. Flagellomere 1 with 1 long pit on basal outer edge. Longest aristal branches at most 0.75x length of basal aristomere. Eye ovoid; genal height 0.5x eye height; gena with 5–6 setulae at genal margin and anteroventral corner. Clypeus height subequal to width of palpus at base.

Thorax: One large prescutellar dorsocentral seta, remaining 2 postsutural dorsocentrals only slightly longer than or subequal to acrostichals. Katepisternum with 1 dorsal seta and a row of 3–4 small anterior setae.

Wing: Costa with 1 costagial seta; costal section between humeral and subcostal break with 2 pairs of setae and a dorsal setula in between; costa ends at 4/5 of wing length. R2+3 straight. Angle between costa and R4+5 75°. Distance between radial fork and r-m 2.5x length of r-m; dm-cu slightly longer than r-m and distance between crossveins 0.6x length of dm-cu. M-pseudovein slightly bent towards costa, leveling off in distal one third and ending close to wing margin. CuA1 extends slightly beyond dm-cu and continues as pseudovein towards wing margin. Distal half of A1-pseudovein straight or only slightly curved.

WIPs: Cell r2+3 generally of uniform colour with a thin compact band of colour pattern at anterior edge. Basal angle of distal spot wide, 90°; ripple pattern uniform, circular; posterior edge straight. Distal colour incision wide.

Legs: Fore femur anterodorsally with 2 short golden hairs at base and posterodorsal half of femur with 1 strong seta; ventrally with 1 large ventrobasal seta and posteroventrally with a row of 7–8 setae along length of femur, distal 4 setae usually strong, remaining setae small. Mid tibia with a proximal and middle anterodorsal seta, and a pair of distal dorsal (anterodorsal and dorsal) setae; ventral surface of mid tibia with a middle small seta and a large apical seta. 2nd hind tarsomere with small basal ornamental process shielding posterobasal half of 3rd tarsomere, process basally flat and bare, posterodorsally with 3 macrotrichia and 4 scale-like lappets, posteroventrally with a comb of microtrichia; 3rd hind tarsomere basally dented at corresponding area shielded by ornamental process, posteromedially with a tuft of setae bending ventrally; claws symmetrical.

Male abdomen and terminalia: Sternite 4 large, extended posteriorly with lateral elongated lobes; shielding most of S5. S5 medially desclerotized, desclerotization diamond-shaped. Anteroventral arm of synsternite 6+7 simple; medioventral lobe long and straight, basal stem well sclerotized, apically desclerotized and blending into membrane of genital pouch and covered with microtrichia; posteroventral lobe simple, anteroventral edge straight and well sclerotized. Anteroventral process on right side of epandrium apically tapering, articulating with anterior hypandrial apodeme. Subanal plate present. Subepandrial sclerite reduced to simple π-shaped band bridging between surstylus. Cerci bidigitated and separated. Surstylus simple, quadrate, posteroventral surface with scattered setae.

Hypandrium Y-shaped, anterior hypandrial apodeme severely skewed to right, posteromedial hypandrial processes laterally articulating with hypandrial arms. Phallapodeme skewed to right, rod-like. Ejaculatory apodeme basal stem long, well sclerotized, distally wide fan-like, apical edge fused to right anterodorsal edge of epandrium. Epiphallus chin-like. Distiphallus WS bifurcate; LFS slender; FDS slender, apically tapered, medially arched to enclose WS; SDS sheet-like, desclerotized, medially arched to enclose WS.

Female abdomen and terminalia: S7 simple with scattered setae. Each half of T8 small, without prominent setae except small setulae or microtrichia. S8 rectangular. Epiproct glossy at posterolateral corners. Cercus quadrate with conspicuously thickened apical seta. Each spermatheca with 1 large apical thimble-shaped pit and 1 shallow basal pit covered with several small dimples.

Type specimens: Holotype: ♂: ECUADOR: Napo: 17 km NE Baeza, 1400 m, dung trap, 3–6 Mar 1976, S. Peck ( QCAZ).

Paratypes: BELIZE : Cayo: Belmopan , gallery forest, creekside, dung trap, 11–16 Aug 1972, S. & J. Peck & R. Anderson (2♂, 3♀, DEBU) ; Belmopan , stream forest, dung trap, 8–14 Aug 1972, S. & J. Peck & R. Anderson (1♂, 1♀, DEBU) ; Caves Branch , forest, dung trap, 23–29 Aug 1972, S. & J. Peck (15♂, 9♀, DEBU). BRAZIL:

Parana: Curitiba , 30 km SE BR 277, dung trap, 6–9 Feb 1990, S. A. Marshall (1♂, 2♀, MZSP, DEBU) . COSTA RICA : Alajuela: Florencia , forest, dung trap, 28 Feb 1980, H. Howden (1♂, 2♀, DEBU) ; Volcán Tenorio, Bijagua Biological Station , 700 m, sweeping decayed vegetation, 16 Jun 2000, M. Buck (1♂, DEBU) ; Cartago: Turrialba Catie , 600 m, 28 Feb 1980, H. & A. Howden (1♂, DEBU) ; Heredia: La Selva Biol. Stn., 3 km S Puerto Viejo , 10°26ʹ00ʺN, 084°01ʹ00ʺW, 80 m, FIT, 23–26 Jun 2001, S. Chatzimanolis (1♂, DEBU) ; Puntarenas: Penas Blancas, E Monte Verde Reserve , 10°18ʹ00ʺN, 084°49ʹ00ʺW, 900 m, on rotten banana pits, 25 May 1987, Al Norrbom (3♂, 1♀, INBC, DEBU) ; Osa Peninsula , Rincón, 2.5 km S, 08°42ʹ01ʺN, 083°30ʹ50ʺW, secondary forest, ~ 50 m, dung pans, 11 Aug 2001, M. Buck (1♂, DEBU). ECUADOR : Esmeraldas: 11 km SE San Lorenzo, La Chiquita , 5 m, dung trap, 10–11 Jun 1975, S. Peck (1♀, DEBU) ; Guayas: 78 km N Santa Elena, 27 km S Puerto López , 500ʹ, dung trap, 25–27 Jul 1976, S. Peck (1♀, DEBU) ; Pichincha: Baeza , 42 km NW, 3300 m, dung trap, 2–6 Mar 1976, S. Peck (1♂, DEBU) ; Palenque , day 3 trap, 24–25 Mar 1976, S. Peck (7♂, DEBU) ; Rio Palenque , J. Glasser trap, 26 Feb 1976, S. Peck (2♂, 1♀, DEBU) ; Rio Palenque , dung trap, 25 Feb 1979, S. A. Marshall (2♀, DEBU) ; Rio Palenque , dung trap, 25–26 Feb 1976, S. Peck (1♀, DEBU) ; Tinalandia, wet lower montane rainforest, 1120 m, Malaise head, 9–13 May 1987, L. D. Coote & B. V. Brown (1♂, ROME) ; Tinalandia , 16 km SE Santo Domingo, 680 m, dung trap, 19–20 Jun 1975, S. Peck (1♂, DEBU) ; ditto, 21–22 Jun 1975 (1♀, DEBU) ;

Napo: same as holotype (35♂, 33♀, QCAZ, DEBU); 12 km SW Tena , 500 m, dung trap, 8–11 Aug 1976, S. Peck (2♂, DEBU). PANAMA : Chiriquí: Hartmann's Finca, 15 km NW Hato de Volcan , 1200 m, dung trap, 20–25 May 1977, S. Peck (1♀, DEBU) ; Lagunas, 5 km SW Hato del Volcan, 1360 m, dung trap, 22–26 May 1977, S. Peck (22♂, 8♀, DEBU) .

Etymology: The name aurita refers to the rabbit-ear-like posterolateral lobe of the modified male S4 (Latin ‘auritus’: having ears; the long-eared animal, the hare).

Comments: This highly autapomorphic species possesses a number of unique characters, including an extended S4, a very well-sclerotized and unusually shaped ventromedial lobe of synsternite 6+7, a very welldeveloped ejaculatory apodeme and bulb that fuses with the epandrium distally, and ornamental processes on the hind tarsus similar to (but probably not homologous with) the Bromeloecia winnemana species group. B. aurita is found at mid elevations in Central and South America.