Bromeloecia diabolunguia 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 : 101-108

Bromeloecia diabolunguia Yau and Marshall sp. n.

(Figs. 22.1–22.14)

Description: Body length 1.3–1.6 mm (males), 1.3–1.5 mm (females). Generally similar to B. ephippium .

Head: Genal height 0.45x eye height.

Wing: Angle between costa and R4+5 75°.

WIPs: Basal angle of distal spot wide, 70°.

Legs: Fore femur ventrally with 1 large ventrobasal seta and a row of 5 strong setae distal to it, posteroventrally with a row of 4–5 setae on distal one third of femur, second last seta strong; female with 1 large ventrobasal seta and a continuous row of 8–9 posteroventral setae along length of femur, second last seta strong. Male fore tibia anteroventrally with a comb of 10–11 small stout setae on distal three quarters; comb absent in females.

Male abdomen and terminalia: S5 simple, setae posteromedially directed, sometimes with faint medial bar of sclerotization. Cerci glossy, parallel to slightly diverging, distal one third slightly curved medially. Surstylus ventromedially with elongated lobe, lobe basoventrally with 4 short spicules, distally with 3 long ventrally curved tapering appendages; posterobasal surface covered with setae.

Hypandrium lateral extension plate starting from distal two-thirds of posteromedial hypandrial processes; outer margin of extension plate and hypandrial process articulating with hypandrial arm. Phallapodeme thick, distally flattened and dilated. Ejaculatory apodeme indistinguishable from ejaculatory bulb. Distiphallus FDS slender, apically tapered, distomedially fused; SDS sheet like, desclerotized; MS basally thickened and round on each side, gradually tapered towards bidigitated apex.

Female abdomen and terminalia: Cercus long and slender. Each spermatheca with 1 large apical thimbleshaped pit and 3 small basal pits.

Type specimens: Holotype: ♂: COLOMBIA: Norte de Santander: 20 mi S Cúcuta Qbda. , 2500ʹ, carrion trap, 13–15 May 1974, S. Peck ( IAVH).

Paratypes: COLOMBIA: Norte de Santander: 2 mi N Chinacota , 3000ʹ, carrion, 12–14 May 1974, S. Peck (3♂, 3♀, IAVH, DEBU) ; same as holotype (3♂, 4♀, IAVH, DEBU). VENEZUELA: Táchira: 20 km NE San Cristóbal , 4000ʹ, dung trap, 18–22 May 1974, S. Peck (2♂, MIZA) .

Etymology: This name refers to the modified male surstylus (Latin ‘diabolicus’: slanderous, devilish; Latin ‘unguis’: fingernails, claw, talon).

Comments: B. diabolungui a and B. spathicercus are externally similar and can be difficult to separate when the terminalia are tucked into the genital cavity, obscuring the surstyli and cerci. Such specimens can still be distinguished by the degree of desclerotization of S5 and the chaetotaxy of the epandrium: S5 is unmodified on B. diabolunguia but posteromedially desclerotized on B. spathicercus ; long setae are dense and concentrated on the ventral surface of the epandrium of B. diabolunguia but more evenly distributed on B. spathicercus . These species appear to be entirely allopatric.