A revision of the New World genus Aptilotella Duda (Sphaeroceridae: Limosininae) Author Luk, Stephen P. L. luk@uoguelph.ca Author Marshall, Stephen A. luk@uoguelph.ca text Zootaxa 2014 2014-02-05 3761 1 1 156 journal article 5940 10.11646/zootaxa.3761.1.1 5444e27e-3e2a-429b-931b-823a2086e3c5 1175-5326 4909057 82E0F1DC-BC98-4E8A-A3D5-21ECB392CC0B Aptilotella caerulea Luk & Marshall , sp. n. Figures 7, 8 , and 61–74 Description. Habitus as in Figures 7 and 8 . Body length 1.0– 1.2 mm . Head ( Fig. 74 ) ground color brown. Frons finely rugose, weakly shining; pale areas bluish-gray, the lateral pair attaining front margin of frons and sharply converging on occiput; dark brown medial stripes each about one-fourth the width of frons, tapering anteriorly; dark brown orbital stripes each narrower than medial stripe, lightening to amber anteriorly; ocular emargination with narrow pale border. Ocellar tubercle slightly raised; ocelli present; ocellar bristle two-fifths the length of frons. Orbital bristle present; orbital setulae in three pairs. Interfrontal setae in two pairs. Face weakly shining; facial excavation bordered by a pair of iridescent bluish-gray bars, each interjected at oral margin by a brown square spot; gena dull, finely rugose, with a pale pruinose stripe along anterior ocular margin. Antenna brown. Occiput dark brown. Scutum and scutellum dark brown, weakly shining, uniformly densely microtrichose. Scutum deeply creased along posterolateral margin; uniformly setose. Scutellum flat, 1.7 times wider than long, 0.6 times the width of scutum. Scutellar bristles subequal in length, approximately two-thirds the length of scutum. Pleuron black. Legs dark brown; coxae black; distal two-thirds of fore femur and tarsi light brown; fore and hind tibiae with orange medial band, the latter much darker; mid tibia with two anterodorsal and one distal posterodorsal bristle; male mid femur with a setal comb in ventrobasal third. Wing pad ( Figs. 8 , 69 ) brown in male and similar in size to scutellum; reduced in female to a small, brown stub with several long apical setae. Abdomen black, shining, uniformly setose and microtrichose. Cercus and surstylus yellow. Male terminalia. Sternite 5 ( Fig. 64 ) shallowly emarginate in posteromedial one-fourth; fringed with a membranous lining clothed in small hairs; flanked on each side with a patch of setae. Synsternite 6+7 ( Fig. 63 ) reduced; arm of sternite 7 very slender and apically hooked; medial bridge extremely narrow; posteromedially giving rise to a bulbous sclerite with a flared base. Anal aperture very large. Cercus ( Figs. 61, 62 ) approximately twice wider than long; the broad base laterally articulating with a notch in the epandrium; the slender portion bent near apex, with two long basal setae, three medial setae, and two preapical sensory setae. Surstylus ( Figs. 61, 62 ) saddle-shaped; posterior margin straight, setaceous; anterior margin sinuate. Postgonite ( Fig. 67 ) rounded; descending arm slender, half the total length and of uniform width, with two anterior and one posterobasal strong marginal sensory setae; posterior margin giving rise to a rounded projection before descending arm; articulatory processes for pregonite and basiphallus both undeveloped and rounded. Hypandrium ( Fig. 68 ) Y-shaped, medially with a perpendicular sail; medial rod apically truncated rightward; hypandrial arms swept back; pregonite inconspicuous. Aedeagus as in Figures 65 and 66 . Basiphallus compressed, squared; posteroventrally humped; articulatory margin with distiphallus straight; anterior margin articulating with aedeagal apodeme; articulatory process for postgonite reduced. Ejaculatory apodeme sinuate, basal half broader and with two sensory pores. Ventrobasal sclerite divided. Lateral flanking sclerite broadly fused ventrobasally; dorsal margin straight, medially fused into a chisel-shaped tab; distal margin slanted. Ventral flanking sclerite rod-shaped, distally expanding outward into a triangular lobe. Dorsal triangular sclerites arising from inside the distal margin of lateral flanking sclerite, expanding outward like ventral flanking sclerites. Female terminalia. Tergite 7 ( Fig. 70 ) posteromedially shallowly emarginate. Epiproct ( Figs. 70, 71 ) rectangular; medially microtrichose, with two lateral pre-marginal setae. Each half of tergite 8 ( Figs. 71, 72 ) weakly convex, rounded; with setae near margins; lower third shining. Cercus two times as long as wide; with one long apical seta and several other setae. Epiproct very indistinct. Hypoproct ( Figs. 71, 72 ) triangular, apically with four setae. Spermathecae ( Fig. 73 ) finely ridged; with conical invagination; collar ringed by several stubs; sclerotized ducts very short, less than the diameter of a spermatheca. Variation . The iridescent bars may attain an intense cerulean blue colour, while the brown square spot varies significantly in size. Etymology . Aptilotella caerulea is named for its vivid facial pruinosity. Type material. Holotype ♂ , DEBU . DOMINICAN REPUBLIC : Independencia , 32 km NW La Descrubierta Sabana Real , 1800 m , 26.xi.–5.xii.1991 , cloud forest, carrion traps , S. and J. Peck. Paratypes . DOMINICAN REPUBLIC : Independencia , 30 km NW La Descrubierta Sabana Real , 1646 m , 25.xi.–5.xii.1991 , cloud forest, dung traps , S. and J. Peck ( 3♂ , 9♀ , DEBU ) ; same label but from carrion ( 4♀ , DEBU ) ; same label as holotype ( 7♂ , 10♀ , DEBU ) ; same label as holotype but dated 26.ix.1991 , forest moss and litter ( 4♂ , 4♀ , DEBU ) . Comments. This species possesses orbital bristles and small ocelli, and a very simple distiphallus. The brilliant facial pruinosity is diagnostic.