Boreantrops alytothrix, Kits, Joel H. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2015

Kits, Joel H. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2015, A revision of Boreantrops Kits & Marshall (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae: Archiborborinae), Zootaxa 3915 (3), pp. 301-355 : 313

Boreantrops alytothrix sp. nov.

( Figs. 33, 34 , 67, 104)

Diagnosis. Separable from other members of the mexicanus subgroup by the following combination of characters: Leg joints narrowly orange. Mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal bristle. Mesoscutum strongly sculptured. Male sternite 5 with a complete row of setae along posterior margin. Male distiphallus with distal portion of dorsal tube long, pointed.

Description. Head orange, occiput black with orange around posterior margin of eye, frons dark reddish brown posteriorly. Prementum brown with ventral third orange, maxillary palp yellow. Mostly covered with microtomentum, frons with microtomentum medially reaching from postocellar bristles anteriorly through ocellar triangle to anterior margin of frons, microtomentum on orbital plates reaching bases of interfrontal setae, bare in a small patch just anterior to vertical bristles, face with patch of microtomentum below antenna reaching ventrally to level of U-shaped mark. Ocellar bristles at level of anterior margin of median ocellus. Subvibrissal bristle and anterior genal bristles about 0.5X length of vibrissa.

Thorax black, mostly covered with microtomentum. Proepisternum shiny, anepisternum with microtomentum along dorsal third and posterior third and in a thin line along anterior margin below spiracle, katepisternum with a shiny spot behind fore coxa, meron shiny, metapleuron shiny with a stripe of microtomentum between posterior spiracle and hind coxa. Mesoscutum sculptured. Halter white, brownish below knob.

Legs black, joints and trochanters orange, fore and hind tarsi with 2 basal tarsomeres ivory white and 3 distal tarsomeres brown, mid tarsus with 2 basal tarsomeres ivory white and 3 distal tarsomeres brown. Mid tibia with 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral, 6 subapical bristles. Hind tibia with 1 ventroapical bristle.

Wing brown, veins dark brown, crossveins r-m and dm-cu white, vein R4+5 with 2 pale spots distal to crossvein r-m.

Abdominal syntergite 1+2 heavily sclerotized with a semicircular weakly sclerotized patch anteriorly, black, covered with microtomentum. Tergites 3–4 heavily sclerotized with irregular, weakly sclerotized margin, tergite 5 weakly sclerotized. Sternites weakly sclerotized.

Male postabdomen: Sternite 5 longer than wide, slightly wider posteriorly, posterior margin straight, with unbroken row of setae, anterior apodeme broad, slightly shorter than external portion ( Fig. 34 ). Surstylus paddleshaped. Hypandrial arms with ventral tab-like structures. Pregonite small, discrete. Postgonite with lobes widely separated, anterior lobe broad, rounded, posterior lobe longer, pointed. Basiphallus with long epiphallus, broad, transparent preepiphallus. Distiphallus with strongly curved spinose dorsal tube, distal portion long, pointed apically with a transparent keel ( Fig. 33 ).

Female postabdomen: Tergites 6–7 with anterior and lateral margins heavily sclerotized, center and posterior margin not sclerotized. Tergite 8 covered with microtomentum, except anterior margin. Epiproct without anterior arms, mostly covered with microtomentum except anterior corners, with 2 setae. Cerci broad. Sternites 6–7 with margins heavily sclerotized, center not sclerotized. Sclerites of sternite 8 broadest posteriorly, posterior half covered with microtomentum. Hypoproct lozenge-shaped, covered with microtomentum. Spermathecae about 2X longer than wide, thick-walled, annulated, apex invaginated, sclerotized duct about 1.5X longer than bulb (Fig. 67).

Type material. Holotype ♂: MEXICO: Jalisco: Atenquique, 18 mi. W, 2835 m, fir forest, dung,, A. Newton, debu01040400 ( DEBU). Paratypes: same data as holotype (7 ♂, 2 ♀, DEBU, USNM); México: Santa Marta, 5 mi E, km 8.5, 3078 m, fir forest, human dung, 29 Aug–4 Sep 1971, A. Newton (1 ♂, DEBU); Morelos: Tres Cumbres, 4 mi S, km 57, 2591 m, human dung, 29 Aug–4 Sep 1971, A. Newton (1 ♂, DEBU); Tres Cumbres, 7 mi W, km 12, 2926 m, oak, pine, fir, dung, 29 Aug–4 Sep 1971, A. Newton (1 ♂, 1 ♀, DEBU).

Distribution. Central Mexico, from Jalisco east to Morelos (Fig. 104). High elevation forests above 2500 m elevation.

Etymology. The species name is from the Greek alytos (unbroken) + thrix (hair), referring to the continuous row of setae on the male sternite 5.

Figures

FIGURES 31 – 36. Boreantrops male terminalia. B. albipes: 31) phallus, postgonite, and phallapodeme, lateral view, 32) sternite 5; B. alytothrix: 33) phallus, postgonite, and phallapodeme, lateral view, 34) sternite 5; B. apterus: 35) phallus, postgonite, and phallapodeme, lateral view, 36) sternite 5. bp: basiphallus, dp: distiphallus, dt: dorsal tube; ep: epiphallus, keel: transparent keel on dorsal tube; pa: phallapodeme, pep: preepiphallus, prg: pregonite, ptg: postgonite.