Bromeloecia ramus Yau & Marshall 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Yau, Tiffany
name: Marshall, Stephen A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sphaeroceridae
Bromeloecia
Bromeloecia ramus

description: Bromeloecia ramus Yau and Marshall sp. n.
(Figs. 6.1–6.14)
Description: Body length 1.1–1.6 mm (males), 1.2–1.7 mm (females). Generally similar to B. abundantia.
Head: Anterior fronto-orbital seta 0.3x as long as posterior seta, extremely weak, almost indistinguishable from setulae.
Wing: Distance between radial fork and r-m 5x length of r-m; dm-cu 2x length of r-m and distance between crossveins 2x length of dm-cu.
Legs: Ventral surface of male mid tibia with a comb of 9 stout setae increasing in size distally followed by a large apical seta on distal half; ventral surface of female mid tibia only with large apical seta.
Male abdomen and terminalia: S5 with a pair of rounded posteromedial lobes posteroventrally covered with spicules, and with 2 short and tight rows of ventromedially directed setae anterior to lobes; anterior row with 7 setae, half as strong as posterior row of 4 setae. Anteroventral process on right side of epandrium long and of uniform width; left thin long sclerite probably homologous with left anteroventral process; both articulating ventrally with anterior hypandrial apodeme. Cercus thin, apically tapering. Surstylus J-shaped with rectangular medial lobe and long slender lateral process. Distiphallus WS quadrate base upright and long; LFS basally narrow, apically spatulate; FDS form a dorsal arch weakly resembling a tongue; SDS distally desclerotized to almost membranous, leaf-shaped.
Female abdomen and terminalia: S7 posteriorly collapsed; posteriorly with 1 row of setae of alternating size on each half and anteriorly with several small scattered setae. Ventral edge of each half of T8 long, with 1 seta. S8 thin and very well sclerotized, arched from side to side. Cercus short, pear-shaped, with medial preapical stout hooked seta. Each spermatheca with 1 large hemispherical pit and 1 small shallow pit.
Type specimens: Holotype: ♂: ECUADOR: Napo: Tiputini Biodiversity Stn., 00°36ʹ50ʺS, 076°09ʹ01ʺW, May 2011, S. A. Marshall, debu00371112 (QCAZ).
Paratypes: BOLIVIA: La Paz: Arroyo Tuhiri W Mapiri, 15°17ʹ27ʺS, 068°15ʹ29ʺW, 10 Apr 2001, S. A. Marshall (1♀, DEBU); Heath River Wildlife Centre, ~ 21 km SSW Puerto Heath, 12°40ʹ00ʺS, 068°42ʹ00ʺW, tree fall, yellow pans, 5–9 May 2007, Paiero & Kits (3♂, 2♀, CBFC, DEBU); Heath River Wildlife Research Centre, 12°40ʹ00ʺS, 068°42ʹ00ʺW, tree fall, yellow pans, 5–9 May 2007, Paiero & Kits (1♂, 1♀, DEBU); San Antonio, ca. 8 km S Mapiri, 15°20ʹ56ʺS, 068°13ʹ31ʺW, secondary forest, dung pans, 11 Apr 2001, S. A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU). COLOMBIA: Amazonas: Leticia, Pepper Farm, dung, 1 Mar 1974, V. Nealis (2♂, 1♀, DEBU); Leticia, dung, 28 Feb 1974, V. Nealis (1♀, DEBU). ECUADOR: Napo: same as holotye (2♂, DEBU); Tiputini Biodiversity Stn., 00°36ʹ50ʺS, 076°09ʹ01ʺW, sweep, May 2011, S. A. Marshall (1♂, DEBU); Tiputini Biodiversity Stn., vic. Yasuní National Park, 00°38ʹS, 076°10ʹW, pitfall trap (human dung), 14–19 Feb 1998, D. C. Darling (4♂, 3♀, QCAZ, DEBU); Yasuní National Park, Yasuní Res. Sta., rainforest, Malaise trap, 3–20 Nov 1998, Pape & Viklund (2♀, DEBU). GUYANA: Potaro-Siparuni: Mazaruni-Potaro, Tukeit Falls, Potaro R., 1° rainforest, 300ʹ, human dung trap, 27–29 Sep 1990, B. Hubley (3♂, 1♀, ROME, DEBU); W. side Potaro R. downstream Tukeit Falls, 1° rainforest clearing, 300ʹ, Malaise-fine, 27–30 Sep 1990, B. Hubley & L. D. Coote (1♀, DEBU); Kabocalli, Iwokrama Forest Reserve, 60 m, FIT, 3–5 Jun 2001, Brooks & Falin (1♂, 3♀, DEBU); Kabocalli, Iwokrama Forest Reserve, 100 m, FIT, 22–25 May 2001, Brooks & Falin (2♂, 4♀, DEBU); Mount Wokomung, 05°7ʹ53ʺN, 059°48ʹ31ʺW, 1° rainforest, 698 m, pitfall trap (human dung), 21–26 Oct 2004, B. Hubley (2♂, DEBU); Upper Demerara-Berbice: Rupununi, Kurupukari, Essequibo R., 1° rainforest, 200ʹ, dung trap, 9 Oct 1990, B. Hubley (7♂, 3♀, ROME, DEBU). PERU: Loreto: Teniente Lopez, FIT, 24 Jul 1993, R. Leschen (1♀, DEBU); San Jacinto, FIT, 12 Jul 1993, R. Leschen (1♀, DEBU); Campamento San Jacinto, 175–215 m, FIT, 11 Jul 1993, R. Leschen (1♀, DEBU); Madre de Dios: Amazonas Lodge, N of Atalaya, 12°52ʹ12ʺS, 071°22ʹ36ʺW, 480 m, FIT, 10–13 Nov 2007, D. Brzoska (1♀, DEBU). VENEZUELA: Bolívar: Quebrada de Jaspe, 19–20 Jul 1986, B. Gill (1♂, 1♀, MUSM); 10 km S El Dorada, 200 m, 17 Jul–7 Aug 1986, B. Gill (1♂, 1♀, DEBU); 22 km S El Dorada, lowland rainforest, FIT, 25 Jun–12 Jul 1987, S. & J. Peck (1♀, DEBU).
Etymology: This name refers to the antler-shaped surstylus (Latin ‘ramus’: branch, antler).
Comments: B. ramus is widespread at low elevations across South America. The 2 tight rows of setae on S5 usually seem to form a medial horn when observed under a dissecting microscope. The cercus is short and pointed when compared to B. abundantia, though not as small as B. fractacincta. The cerci are normally flexed inwards. The hypandrial arms are uniformly broader than in B. abundantia, B. magna, B. pinna, and B. robustora, but not as broad as those of B. fractacincta.
description: Published as part of Yau, Tiffany & Marshall, Stephen A., 2018, A revision of the genus Bromeloecia Spuler (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae), pp. 1-115 in Zootaxa 4445 (1) on pages 33-37, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4445.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1454109