Pialea brunea Schlinger

Schlinger, Evert I., Gillung, Jessica P. & Borkent, Christopher J., 2013, New spider flies from the Neotropical Region (Diptera, Acroceridae) with a key to New World genera, ZooKeys 270, pp. 59-93 : 77-79

Pialea brunea Schlinger sp. n. Figs 16-1924

Material examined.

Holotype female: Top label: "Venezuela / Páramo / La Negra / Lichy col. / [vertically on left side] viii.48". Bottom label: red "HOLOTYPE ♀/ Pialea brunea/ Schlinger new species/ Det. E.I. Schlinger 2012" (CAS).

Diagnosis.

Antennae inserted in the middle of the head (female, Fig. 17); post pedicel longer than head height (Fig. 18); body entirely brown, without yellow markings; R2+3 not reaching wing margin (Fig. 19); M2 present; first tarsomere of hind leg much longer than the remaining tarsomeres combined.

Description.

Female holotype with medium body size (Fig. 16, female body: 9.2 mm) and wing shorter than body (female wing: 8.2 mm). Head. Eyes black and densely covered with long (equal to length of scape) brown pile (Fig. 17), occiput and ocellar tubercle dark brown and covered with brown pile, ocelli brown, frons brown, scape and pedicel brown, pedicel with several long setae, flagellum brown and tapering to apex which bears setae (Fig. 18). Face dark brown with brown pile; clypeus dark brown, half the length of the scape and covered with fine setae; mouthparts light brown and strongly reduced. Thorax. Uniformly light brown and densely covered with long brown pile. Legs brown and densely covered with long brown pile. Lower calypter brown and densely covered with yellow pile; halter light brown. Wing. Transparent with light brown wing veins (Fig. 19). R2+3 incomplete, not reaching wing margin, M1 absent, M2 present. Abdomen. Both tergites and sternites uniformly dark brown.

Comments.

Pialea brunea is closely related to Pialea capitella Schlinger, 1956 and Pialea ecuadorensis Schlinger, 1956, sharing with these species the absence of wing vein M1. It differs from Pialea capitella in the eyes being separate below the antennae, and from Pialea ecuadorensis in the overall brown coloration and presence of M2.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin, bruneus - brown; referring to the distinctive entirely brown coloration of the body, which lacks yellow markings.