Sclerocoelus lazulita Kuwahara, Marshall & Paiero, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Kuwahara, Gregory K.
name: Marshall, Stephen A.
name: Paiero, Steven M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sphaeroceridae
Sclerocoelus
Sclerocoelus lazulita

description: Sclerocoelus lazulita sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E33053F2-93CD-47A6-8862-E8CDFC271928
Figs 7D, 72–74
Etymology
This name reflects the type locality of this species, La Azulita, Venezuela.
Material examined
Holotype
VENEZUELA • ♂; Mérida, Jají-La Azulita; 3 May 1988; S.A. Marshall leg.; roadside sweeps; DEBU.
Paratypes
BOLIVIA – La Paz • 1 ♂; Chulumani Road, near La Florida; 4 Apr. 2001; S.A. Marshall leg.; on rotting vegetation; CBFC • 1 ♂; Chulumani, Apa-Apa Reserve; 16°21′15″ S, 67°30′21″ W; 2000 m a.s.l.; 1–3 Apr. 2001; S.A. Marshall leg.; pan traps; CBFC. – Santa Cruz • 1 ♂; Siringalito, near Pampa Grande; 2 Oct. 1996; Bettella and Rossi leg.; DEBU.
ECUADOR – Carchi • 3 ♀♀; Bosque El Arrayán, 6 km E of San Gabriel; 2830 m a.s.l.; 1 Nov. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; sweeping; QCAZ • 1 ♂; Guandera Forest Reserve, 15 km E of San Gabriel; 3400 m a.s.l.; 1 Nov. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; hand; QCAZ. – Loja • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; Podocarpus National Park, Cajanuma, Bosque Nublado trail; 3000 m a.s.l.; 16–20 Feb. 2009; M. Pollet and A. De Braekeleer leg.; yellow pans; RBINS • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as preceding; 20–27 Feb. 2009; RBINS • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same data as for preceding; Los Miradores trail; 16–20 Feb. 2009; RBINS. – Napo • 1 ♀; Baeza; 1500 m a.s.l.; 16–19 May 1987; L.D. Coote and B.V. Brown leg.; wet montane rainforest, Malaise trap; DEBU • 7 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀; Baeza; 1700 m a.s.l.; 16–19 May 1987; L.D. Coote and B.V. Brown leg.; near small creek, wet montane forest/pasture, Malaise head; QCAZ • 2 ♂♂; SierrAzul Lodge, 14 km W of Cosanga; 2200 m a.s.l.; 5 Nov. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; forest, sweep; DEBU. – Pichincha • 1 ♀; 3.5 km SE of Tandayapa; 28 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; in green leaf litter (treefall); QCAZ • 2 ♂♂; 7 km SE of Nanegalito, trout farm ‘San Jose’; 1500 m a.s.l.; 27–30 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; riverine forest, treefall sweeps; QCAZ • 1 ♀; 10 km NW of Quito, valley near Hosteria San Jorge; 3050 m a.s.l.; 22–25 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; creek bed, pan traps; DEBU • 1 ♂; 15 km NW of Nono, road to Mindo; 2000 m a.s.l.; 23–25 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; pan traps; DEBU • 1 ♂; Bellavista Cloud Forest Reserve; 0°01′13″ S, 78°40′30″ W; 2200 m a.s.l.; 1 May 2011; S.A. Marshall leg.; pans near treefall; DEBU • 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Campamento Pichan, near Nono; 3200 m a.s.l.; 24 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; sweeping; QCAZ • 1 ♂; Cotopaxi National Park, Quebrada Mishahuaycu; 3600 m a.s.l.; 25 Oct. 1999; S.A. Marshall leg.; under streamside vegetation; DEBU • 2 ♂♂; same data as for preceding; 26 Oct.–8 Nov. 1999; pans along stream; QCAZ. – Zamora-Chinchipe • 2 ♀♀; San Francisco Biological Reserve, Canal trail; 3°58′30″ S, 79°04′25″ W; 2000 m a.s.l.; 18–25 Feb. 2009; M. Pollet and A. De Braekeleer leg.; blue pan traps; debu00368027 / MYCRO1032-22 sequenced for CO1- 5’; RBINS.
VENEZUELA – Mérida • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; same collection data as holotype; DEBU • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 6 km S of Azulita, near road; 3 May 1988; S.A. Marshall leg.; DEBU. – Trujillo • 1 ♂; 10 km E of Bocono, Laguna de Lucerdo; 3 Mar. 1995; S.A. Marshall leg.; aspirated along river; DEBU • 4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; Bocono, road to Guaramacal; 2570 m a.s.l.; 2 Mar. 1995; S.A. Marshall leg.; creek bed; DEBU • 1 ♂; Guaramacal National Park, 14 km NE of Bocono; 2000 m a.s.l.; 25 Aug.–1 Sep. 1992; L. Masner leg.; DEBU • 1 ♂; Guaramacal National Park; 2000–3000 m a.s.l.; 26 Aug.–1 Sep. 1992; L. Masner leg.; car net; DEBU.
Description
BODY (Fig. 71A). Length 2.7–3.9 mm. Head dark brown, bottom of frons orange; face, gena, and antennae brown. Frontal width 2.2–2.3× frontal height. Two pairs of strong interfrontal bristles surmounting a fine third pair; anterior orbital 0.4–0.5× length of posterior. Palpus pale brown, slightly swollen. Eye large, greatest height about 4.0× shortest genal height. Thorax dark brown, scutum with paler lateral edges. Two pairs of dorsocentral bristles (anterior pair distinct, 0.4× length of posterior pair) separated by 6–7 rows of acrostichal setulae. Membrane around prosternum bare. Legs brown, hind leg darker. Fore femur with four large ventral preapical setae. Ventral surface of male mid tibia with two rows of stout setae in apical third. Wing (Fig. 7D) slightly infuscate. CS2 0.7–0.8 × CS3. Halter pale brown.
MALE ABDOMEN (Figs 71B–C, 72). Dark brown, posterior edges of tergites sometimes slightly desclerotized. T2–5 and S2–4 uniformly long-setose with large posterolateral setae. S5 rectangular, 0.8× length and 1.3 × width of S4, laterally sparsely long-setose with a medial desclerotized patch and two posteromedial rows of setae above a small, dark central process. Anterior flange of S6+7 small, triangular, weakly developed. Sclerite A well developed, bean-shaped; sclerite B weakly sclerotized, narrow and arched; sclerite C absent; sclerites D and E fused, large, angulate; sclerite F large, elongate, distal third constricted and bent inwards; sclerite G large, rectangular; ring sclerite very weakly developed. Epandrium small, 0.2× length of S8, height 1.5× maximum length and 0.8 × maximum width, uniformly setose; perianal pads weakly developed but densely setulose. Pseudocercus absent; halves of subepandrial sclerite simple, slightly curved, fused medially forming a broad arc. Subcercus large, longer than surstylus, triangular in posterior view, tapered and blade-like in lateral view, apex rounded. Hypandrium with narrow anteromedial apodeme with two small posterior lobes. Surstylus simple, broad, subtriangular with ventral and posterior setae, apex bent slightly outwards. Postgonite large, gradually broadened anteriorly to about distal third then tapered to an asymmetrical point, apex slightly swollen. Phallapodeme long, apex dorsoventrally flattened; basiphallus elongate, curved, dorsally expanded to a point; distiphallus largely membranous, dorsoventrally flattened with two sinuate dorsolateral sclerites.
FEMALE ABDOMEN (Fig. 73). T7 broad, simple; T8 divided into two dark, lateral sclerites, posterolateral corners slightly expanded posteriorly. Epiproct broad, subtriangular, slightly desclerotized, entirely setulose and without dorsal pair of setae. Cercus short, apically pointed with long apical and dorsal setae. S7 broad, greatly extended posteromedially, apex flared (Y-shaped), posterior margin on either side of medial extension with two large posterior setae; S8 entirely membranous or absent. Three spermathecae, bulb stout, cylindrical, finely striate with deep but short invaginations on either end, invaginations with a finger-like, central process.
Distribution
Neotropical: Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela.
Remarks
Sclerocoelus lazulita sp. nov. resembles S. nebulosus sp. nov. and S. paranebulosus sp. nov., but has two large interfrontal bristles (as opposed to three in S. nebulosus and S. paranebulosus). All three species are among the basal lineages that lack the pseudocercus and elaborate subcercus of the S. galapagensis and S. dasysternum groups.
description: Published as part of Kuwahara, Gregory K., Marshall, Stephen A. & Paiero, Steven M., 2025, A revision of the genus Sclerocoelus Marshall (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae), pp. 1-277 in European Journal of Taxonomy 979 on pages 69-71, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.979.2803, http://zenodo.org/record/14980852