Microcerella hyperbole, Santos & Mello-Patiu & Couri & Mulieri, 2025

Microcerella hyperbole sp. nov.

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Figs 7–8 View Fig View Fig

Diagnosis

Male: head without proclinate orbital setae; wings with vein R 1 bare; terminalia with epandrium black ( Fig. 8D View Fig ), basiphallus and distiphallus fused dorsally without a dorsal membranous strip ( Fig. 7D View Fig ), and vesica with a superior and inferior projection, the superior one little developed and the inferior one pointed ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ).

Etymology

The species epithet ‘hyperbole’, from Greek and treated as a noun in apposition, refers to the exaggerated complexity of the phallic structures.

Type material

Holotype ECUADOR • ♂, T4, T5 and terminalia dissected and stored in a microvial with glycerin pinned under the specimen; “Ecuador / V. Cotopaxi / m 3250 / 4-VI-83 / Coll. Lassos [handwritten on white paper] // Microcerellini / Det. B.E. Cooper 1985 [printed on white paper] // Microcella / sp. nov.11 / Det.: J.R. Santos 2022 [printed on white paper] // HOLOTYPE [printed on red paper] // Microcerella hyperbole sp. nov. / Santos, Mello-Patiu, / Couri & Mulieri 2025 [printed on white paper]”; CNC.

Description

Male (n = 1)

MEASUREMENTS. Length: 7 mm.

HEAD. Parafacial, fronto-orbital plate and postocular orbit dark brown with silver pruinosity ( Fig. 8A– C View Fig ); facial ridge with setae on lower third; parafacial with row of setulae close to eye, similar in size to subvibrissal setae; frons about 0.27 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta blackish; 8–9 well-developed frontal setae reaching level of apex of pedicel; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 divergent; reclinate orbital seta present, proclinate orbital setae absent; ocellar setae as developed as upper frontals; outer vertical seta undifferentiated from postocular setae; gena and genal groove with silver pruinosity ( Fig. 8A, C View Fig ); gena with black setae; postgena silvery-gray pruinose with blackish setae; antenna black ( Fig. 8C View Fig ); first flagellomere approximately 1.5 × as long as pedicel; arista micro pubescent on basal half ( Fig. 8C View Fig ); palpus blackish ( Fig. 8A, C View Fig ).

THORAX. Dark brown with silvery-gray pruinosity ( Fig. 8A–B View Fig ); chaetotaxy: acrostichals 1+0, dorsocentrals 2 (well developed) + 3 (well developed), intra-alars 1+2, supra-alars 1+3 (the anteriormost shorter), postpronotals 3, notopleurals 4; postalar wall bare; postalar callus with 2 setae; scutellum with pair of basal and pair of subapical setae, apical setae absent, and discal setae absent; katepisternum with 3 setae almost in straight line; meral setae 5; proepisternum bare.

WING. Hyaline, with dark brown veins ( Fig. 8A–B View Fig ); tegula dark brown; basicosta yellowish; vein R4+5 with setulae dorsally at basal ½ of distance to crossvein r-m; vein R1 bare; cell r4+5 open at wing margin; costal spine differentiated; third costal sector bare ventrally.

LEGS. Blackish-brown, pulvilli yellowish-brown ( Fig. 8A View Fig ); mid femur with 3 median anterior setae, row of anteroventral setae, 2 preapical posterior setae, row of posteroventral setae, and without ctenidium; mid tibia with 2 median anterior setae, 1 median posterior seta and 2 posterior setae in apical third; hind trochanter without ventromedian pad of short, spiniform setae.

ABDOMEN. Dark brown with silvery-gray pruinosity ( Fig. 8A View Fig ); T4 without pair of median marginal setae and pair of lateral marginal setae; T5 with row of marginal setae; ST2–4 with marginal setae similar in size of discal setae; ST5 with membranous window, arms approximately 3 × of base length, and dense setae pattern ( Fig. 7A View Fig ).

TERMINALIA. Black ( Fig. 8D View Fig ); cercus with numerous setae in basal half and sparse setae in apical half; cercal prongs divergent dorsally and rounded ( Fig. 7B–C View Fig ); surstylus bacilliform, with apical setae ( Fig. 7B View Fig ); pregonite slightly curved and longer than postgonite ( Fig. 7D View Fig ); postgonite with apex pointed and short seta inserted on anterior margin near middle ( Fig. 7D View Fig ); postgonal apodeme broad ( Fig. 7D View Fig ); basiphallus and distiphallus fused dorsally without dorsal membranous strip ( Fig. 7D View Fig ); vesica with superior and inferior projection, superior one little developed and inferior one pointed ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ); juxta distinctly separated from paraphallus with long pointed anterior projection ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ); acrophallus formed by median stylus, median process, and pair of lateral styli ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ); median stylus, median process and lateral stylus almost straight with lateral stylus with spines in apex ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ).

Female

Unknown.

Remarks

Microcerella hyperbole sp. nov. is morphologically similar to M. rufipes ( Lopes, 1982) but can be separated by the vesica being smooth and the juxta with a long pointed anterior projection ( Fig. 7D–E View Fig ), while the vesica has numerous projections and a smooth juxta in M. rufipes ( Lopes 1982: figs 62–64).

Distribution

Ecuador (Cotopaxi).