Bromeloecia ponsa 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 : 49-53

Bromeloecia ponsa Yau and Marshall sp. n.

(Figs. 10.1–10.14)

Description: Body length 1.1–1.5 mm (males), 1. 1–1.6 mm (females).

Head: Length of anterior fronto-orbital seta 0.6x posterior seta. Flagellomere 1 with 1 long pit surrounding 5/6 of basal outer edge. Eye ovoid to almost circular; genal height 0.6x eye height.

Thorax: Katepisternum with a row of 3–4 smaller anterior setae with dorsal most seta 0.5x and almost level with strong dorsal seta.

Wing: Costa ends at 3/4 of wing length. Angle between costa and R4+5 90°. Distance between radial fork and rm 2x length of r-m; dm-cu equal in length to r-m and distance between crossveins no more than length of dm-cu. M-pseudovein slightly bent towards costa, bent posteriorly to meet level of basal portion in distal one third and ending close to wing margin.

WIPs: Ripple pattern of cell r2+3 distinct, main length of pattern generally parallel to R2+3 and costa, distally dipped, narrowest cross section at mid length of CS3. Basal angle of distal spot wide, 125°.

Male abdomen and terminalia: Syntergite 1+2 and T3 with long lateral setae, a distinctly long pair of divergent medial setae and multiple short marginal setae in between. Anteroventral arm of synsternite 6+7 similar to a laterally stretched out Ω-shape; posteroventral lobe long and curled inwards to abdominal cavity, with anteroventral edge sclerotized. Right side of epandrium without anteroventral process. Surstylus ventrally covered with mollisetae.

Hypandrium Y-shaped, lateral extension plate starts at distal half of posteromedial hypandrial processes; hypandrial arms round. Ejaculatory apodeme finger-like, ejaculatory bulb simple. Epiphallus strongly bent ventrally. Distiphallus LFS slender; FDS folded, apex reaches back to base of WS; second distal SDS shoe-hornshaped.

Female abdomen and terminalia: T6 as wide as T5, medially with a pair of widely separated setae. Each half of T8 triangular, with 1 large and 5 smaller setae. S8 rectangular. Epiproct glossy on lateral quarters. Cercus diamondshaped. Each spermatheca with 1 large apical and 1 small basal thimble-shaped pit.

Type specimens: Holotype: ♂: ECUADOR: Napo: Lago Papallacta , 00°20ʹ29ʺS, 078°10ʹ23ʺW, forest above lake, 3400 m, pans/dung, 4–8 Nov 1999, S.A. Marshall, debu00135739 ( QCAZ).

Paratypes: ARGENTINA: Salta: Campo Quijano , FIT, 28 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall (1♀, DEBU) ; 30 km E Salta Campo Quijano, forest remnant, dung trap, 18–20 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall (10♂, 12♀, DEBU) ; 30 km E Salta Campo Quijano, El Alisal, forest remnant, FIT, 18–20 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall (4♂, 2♀, DEBU) ; La Cladera , forest, 1500 m, sweep roadside, 27 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU) ; 22 km N La Cladera, El Ucumar, subtropical humid forest, 1550 m, Malaise FIT, 2–30 Dec 1987, S. & J. Peck (1♂, 6♀, DEBU) ; El Maray, 50 km W Chicoana , dry, 2500 m, pan traps, 18–28 Feb 1992, S. A. Marshall (3♂, 4♀, DEBU) . BOLIVIA: La Paz: Zongo road, 16°10ʹ04ʺS, 068°07ʹ49ʺW, alpine shrub, ~ 3800 m, on cow dung, 18 Apr 2001, S. A. Marshall (3♂, 1♀, CBFC, DEBU) ; Zongo Valley , 16°7ʹ57ʺS, 068°06ʹ56ʺW, forest, 2600 m, pan traps, 18 Apr 2001, S. A. Marshall (1♀, DEBU) . ECUADOR: Carchi: Guandera For. Res., 15 km E San Gabriel , 00°36ʹ00ʺN, 077°41ʹ35ʺW, 3400 m, sweeping forest trail, 1 Nov 1999, S. A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU) ; Napo: 27 km NW Baeza , 2700 m, dung trap, 2–6 Mar 1976, S. Peck (9♂, 12♀, QCAZ, DEBU) ; 42 km NW Baeza , 3300 m, carrion trap, 2–6 Mar 1976, S. Peck (3♂, 3♀, QCAZ, DEBU) ; same as holotype (1♂, DEBU).

Etymology: The species name refers to the strongly arched, bridge-shaped anteroventral arm of synsternite 6+7 (Latin ‘pons’: bridge).

Comments: B. ponsa , like B. balaena , is found in the high elevations of the Andes, however its distribution stretches further south, to northern Argentina.