Coproica bifurcata, Bergeron & Marshall & Swann, 2015

Bergeron, Matthew D., Marshall, Stephen A. & Swann, John E., 2015, A review of the New World Coproica (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) with a description of 8 new species, Zootaxa 3953 (1), pp. 1-157 : 19-20

Coproica bifurcata new species

Figs. 16 , 21 , 41–52

Description. Body length 1.2–1.7 mm. Body colour brown. Face and frons brown. Interfrontal bristles in 3–4 pairs; postocellar bristles convergent; postocellar setulae absent. Eye to gena ratio approximately 2:1; 4 genal setae in longitudinal row posterior to vibrissa.

Scutellum with approximately 10 bristles arranged in 2 rows between basal 1/4 and basal 1/2, posterior row approximately 1.3 times longer than anterior row; 2 lateral bristles present between larger anterior and posterior marginal scutellar bristles. Katepisternum with 2 small dorsal bristles, each approximately 1/5 as long as the distance between dorsal margin of katepisternum and wing base. Legs and fore coxa brown. Mid tibia with 1 proximal posterodorsal bristle at 2/5. Mid basitarsus with row of small, stout anterior bristles beginning at 1/5 and extending to apex, continuous row of small, stout anteroventral bristles, 2–3 small posteroventral bristles, variable in position. Second costal sector 0.8–1.0 times as long as third costal sector. Costal bypass short, terminating within 5 vein widths of R 4+5.

Male terminalia: Sternite 5 rounded rectangular, posteromedial patch of slightly dense microtrichia; all discal bristles uniform in size. Sternite 6 straight medially. Epandrium with enlarged pair of dorsolateral bristles; subanal plate incomplete; ventral margin of cerci with strong posteromedial bristled processes, process on left cercus 2 times as long as process on right cercus. Surstylus with rounded posteroventral lobe lined with short bristles, slightly asymmetrical. Postgonites asymmetrical, curved anteriorly; left postgonite thick, with pointed apex; right postgonite narrow distally, bifurcate at apex. Basiphallus gently curved, tubular, closed posteriorly; epiphallus unmodified. Lateral sclerites of distiphallus with sharp posterodorsal angle, row of 3 dorsal processes, proximal process sharp with narrow, pointed medial process, central process broad, blunt, distal process, narrow, sharp, and sinuate; distal ventral angle rounded, protruding. Central sclerite fused with lateral sclerites ventral to central process.

Female terminalia: Tergite 8 reduced to 2 long lateral sclerites with medial membrane connecting them. Tergite 10 pollinose, narrowly fused to cerci laterally; cerci conical, pollinose, cercal bristles long and sinuate. Sternite 7 broad, rounded, posterior projection broad and deeply concave, appearing like 2 processes. Sternite 8 with broad anterior process with 2 small lateral points, a large pair of central bristles, and a row of four small setae anterior and posterior to it. Sternite 10 with medial and lateral pairs of enlarged bristles, posterior margin bluntly pointed, not curved dorsally. Spermathecae elongate, pear-shaped; duct length approximately 3 times as long as spermathecal bulb.

Type material. Holotype male: ARGENTINA: Salta, Rosario de Lerma , 24.ii.1992, swept over bulldozed rd., S.A. Marshall ( DEBU) . Paratypes: ARGENTINA: same as holotype (10♂ **–ill–w, 13♀ **–ill.) ; same as holotype except swept over foul ditch (1♀); Jujuy, Cochinoca , 3700m, 26.ii.1992, sweep small stream, llama dung, debris, S.A. Marshall (2♂ *, 2♀ *) ; Jujuy, Tres Cruces lakeside, 3700m, 26.ii.1992, sweep, S.A. Marshall (1♂, 1♀) ; Jujuy, Abra Pampa , 3500 m, 26.ii.1992, llama dung, S.A. Marshall (1♀) ; Salta, Rosario de Lerma , INESALT, 17– 28.ii.1992, yard pan tps., S.A. Marshall (1♀) ; Salta, El Rey Nat. Pk., 900m, Aguas Negras Tr. , 11–15.xii.1987, for. malaise tp., FIT, S.&J. Peck (4♂ *, 10 ♀ ***) ; Salta, El Rey Nat. Pk., 900m, Rio La Sala , 5–10.xii.1987, malaise tp., FIT, open stream side in for., S.&J. Peck (9♂ ***, 4♀ *) ; Salta, El Rey Nat. Pk., 1000m, Pozo Verde trail km. 7, 5– 15.xii.1987, malaise FIT, Yungas for., S.&J. Peck (1♂, 1♀) .

Other material examined. ARGENTINA: Salta, Cañada la Gotera , 19.ii.1992, sweep/wet litter, S.A. Marshall (4♂, 1♀) ; Salta, 22 km. N of La Caldera, 1550m, El Ucumar , 2–30.xii.1987, malaise, subtropical humid for., S.&J. Peck (1♂) ; Salta, 1500m, La Caldera, Camino la Cornisa , 27.ii.1992, roadside for. sweeps, S.A. Marshall (2♂) ; Salta, Rosario de Lerma , INESALT, 16–28.ii.1992, yard malaise, S.A. Marshall (2♂ *, 53♀ *) ; Salta, Rosario de Lerma , 24.ii.1992, garbage/mud/creek, S.A. Marshall (1♀) . BOLIVIA: Santa Cruz, Campo Guairuy, 24 km. S Camiri , 870m, 18.viii–2.ix.2000, malaise tp., Irwin & Hauser; (16♂: debu00143452, 00143432, 00144411, 00144214*, 00142900, 00143117, 00143087, 00143040, 00146755, 00146667, 00146542, 00143151, 00144325, 00143725, 00143706, 00144381; 37♀: 00143656, 00144231, 00143732, 00144559, 00144550, 00144238, 00144569, 00143418, 00144563, 00144390, 00144122, 00144187, 00144192, 00143011, 00142838, 00142887, 00143090, 00143488, 00143429, 00143420, 00143411, 00143518, 00143347*, 00144040, 00143670, 00146604, 00146597, 00146543, 00143113, 00146634, 00146838, 00146700, 00147004, 00147166, 00147223, 00142775, 00142767) . BRAZIL: Paraná, Curitiba , ponds near zoo, 7.ii.1990, sweep, S.A. Marshall (2♂ **) .

Distribution: Neotropical: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil.

Etymology. The specific name means “two-forked” and references the forked tip of the right postgonite.

Comments. Coproica bifurcata can be distinguished from its closest relative, C. hirtuloidea , by its slightly bifurcate and apically broad right postgonite ( Fig. 45 ; narrow and sinuate apically in C. hirtuloidea : Fig. 170 ) in males and by the produced anterior margin of the female sternite 8 ( Fig. 51 ). The postgonites and female sternite 8 are typically visible externally in well preserved or critical point dried specimens, nevertheless, dissections will often be required for the accurate identification of specimens from Bolivia and northern Argentina where the ranges of C. hirtuloidea and C. bifurcata overlap. Examination of the distiphallus will always provide a clear unambiguous determination. See also comments under C. hirtuloidea .

Figures

FIGURES 13–20. Figs 13–15: Coproica acutangula (Zetterstedt). 13. Male left fore basitarsus, posterior. 14. Male left hind basitarsus, anterior. 15. left mid tibia, dorsal. Figs 16–20: left mid tibia, dorsal. 16. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 17. Coproica ferruginata (Stenhammar). 18. Coproica lugubris (Haliday). 19. Coproica novacula sp. nov. 20. Coproica rufifrons (Hayashi).

FIGURES 21–28. left mid basitarsus, ventral. 21. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 22. Coproica brachystyla sp. nov. 23. Coproica hirticula Collin. 24. Coproica lugubris (Haliday). 25. Coproica mitchelli (Malloch). 26. Coproica novacula sp. nov. 27. Coproica rufifrons (Hayashi). 28. Coproica setulosa (Duda). Abbreviations: ARS = anterior row of setae.

FIGURES 41–43. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 41. Male left wing, dorsal. 42. Male terminalia, left lateral (setae on right omitted). 43. Male terminalia, posterior. Abbreviations: C = cercus, Pg = postgonite, Ss = surstylus.

FIGURES 44–47. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 44. Left postgonite. 45. Right postgonite. 46. Aedeagus and associated structures with postgonites removed. 47. Male sternite 5 and synsternite 6–8. Abbreviations: CS = central sclerite, LS = lateral sclerite, MS = membranous sheets, S6 = sternite 6, S7 = sternite 7, TS = tubular sclerite.

FIGURES 48–52. Coproica bifurcata sp. nov. 48. Female terminalia, dorsal. 49. Female terminalia, ventral. 50. Female terminalia, left lateral. 51. Female sternite 8. 52. Spermathecae. Abbreviation: T8 = tergite 8.

FIGURES 169–173. Coproica hirtuloidea (Duda). 169. Left postgonite. 170. Right postgonite. 171. Distiphallus and basiphallus. 172. Sternite 5 synsternite 6–8. 173. Female sternite 8. Abbreviations: CS = central sclerite, LS = lateral sclerite, MP = membranous process, MS = membranous sheet.