Bromeloecia peloris 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 : 42

Bromeloecia peloris Yau and Marshall sp. n.

(Figs. 8.1–8.14)

Description: Body length 1.3–1.5 mm (males), 1.4–1.6 mm (females).

Head: Length of anterior fronto-orbital seta 0.8x posterior seta. Flagellomere 1 with 2 circular and 1 long pit on basal outer edge. Genal height 0.5x eye height.

Thorax: Katepisternum with 2 dorsal setae, anterior 0.5x posterior.

Wing: Costa ends at 4/5 of wing length. Angle between costa and R4+5 70°. Distance between radial fork and rm 2x length of r-m; dm-cu subequal to length of r-m and distance between crossveins subequal to length of dm-cu. M-pseudovein slightly bent towards costa, leveling off in distal half and ending close to wing margin.

WIPs: Ripple pattern of cell r2+3 distinct, parallel to R2+3 and CS3. Basal angle of distal spot wide, 110°.

Male abdomen and terminalia: Anteroventral arm of synsternite 6+7 thick, length 0.2x width (measured from sensory setula 6); posteroventral lobe long, sclerotized before anteroventral edge. Anteroventral process on right side of epandrium short and truncated. Surstylus clam shell-shaped, ventromedially covered with fine setae and microtrichia.

Hypandrium Y-shaped, lateral extension plate starts from distal half of posteromedial hypandrial processes; hypandrial arms pear-shaped. Phallapodeme distally flattened and dilated. Ejaculatory apodeme and bulb not observed. Epiphallus chin-like. Distiphallus LFS slender, distal end with a clove of scale-patterned membrane; FDS with long basal stem reaching backwards, distal lobe U-shaped with distal fringy edge and dorsally webbed with spinulous membrane at base of WS; SDS broad, leaf-shaped.

Female abdomen and terminalia: T6 shorter than T5, medially with a pair of setae in a triangular sclerotized patch, and a cluster of 7 setae concentrated on lateral sclerotized patch on each side of tergite. S7 simple, densely setose. Each half of T8 ovoid, with 1 large and 6 smaller setae. S8 rectangular. Epiproct entirely microtrichose. Cercus diamond-shaped. Each spermatheca with 1 large apical thimble-shaped pit scattered with dimples and 5 small basal pits.

Type specimens: Holotype: ♂: GUYANA: Potaro-Siparuni: Mount Wokomung , 05°6ʹ35ʺS, 059°49ʹ15ʺW, 1° rainforest, 1234 m, human dung pitfall trap, 27 Oct–1 Nov 2004, B. Hubley, debu00378583 ( ROME).

Paratypes: GUYANA: Potaro-Siparuni: Mount Wokomung , 05°7ʹ53ʺS, 059°48ʹ31ʺW, 1° forest, 689 m, pitfall trap (human dung), 21–26 Oct 2004, B. Hubley (1♂, DEBU) ; same as holotype (6♂, 7♀, ROME, DEBU); Mount Wokomung , 05°5ʹ33ʺS, 059°50ʹ35ʺW, 1° rainforest, 1411 m, human dung pitfall trap, 4–8 Nov 2004, B. Hubley (1♂, DEBU) . VENEZUELA: Bolívar: 125 km S El Dorado , 1100 m, 18 Jul–7 Aug 1986, B. Gill (1♂, DEBU) ; 135 km S El Dorado, 1400 m, dung trap, 20 Jul–7 Aug 1986, B. Gill (1♂, 1♀, DEBU) .

Etymology: The species name refers to the clam-shaped surstylus (Latin ‘peloris’: clam, mussel)

Comments: This rarely collected species is found on the Guiana Shield, in rainforest at mid elevations, while the similar B. balaena and B. ponsa are high-Andean species ranging from Ecuador to Argentina. Undescribed species similar to B. peloris occur in intervening areas in Central and South America.