Pelinoides obscurus Mathis 1985

Pelinoides obscurus

DESCRIPTION—As in generic and species group descriptions with the following details Moderately small shore flies, length 205 to 260 mm

Head: Mesofrons and ocellar tubercle brown, densely microtomentose, comparable with that of mesonotum; parafrons slightly darker, blackish brown, becoming brown next to facial suture, densely microtomentose, appearing velvety Antenna black; 1st flagellomere macrotomentose apically Face at narrowest point comparatively wide, width nearly twice length of 1st flagellomere; face, parafacies, and gena white to silvery white Eye-to-cheek ratio 064 Palpus black

Thorax: Mesonotum brown, very densely microtomentose, coloration and vestiture mostly uniform except for faintly grayish, less densely microtomentose stripes laterad of acrostichal and 2 linear spots laterad of dorsocentral tracks, pre- and postsutural; lacking whitish, densely microtomentose areas except immediately posteriad of notopleuron, and at scutal-scutellar furrow; scutellum lacking white median stripe; scutellar disc slightly less microtomentose than scutum; basolateral scutellar margins densely microtomentose, but not appearing velvety black from posteroblique angle Acrostichal setulae small, inconspicuous; dorsocentral bristles 1, in posteriormost position, none presutural; presutural bristle inconspicuous; supra-alar region lacking well-developed setulae; only apical scutellar bristles well developed, although with smaller setulae laterally; no evidence of either notopleural bristle; no pleural bristles evident Anepisternum mostly brown except for extreme anteroventral area; anepimeron mostly brown except for small grayish spot in middle; katepisternum mostly gray Halter with knob brownish, distinctly contrasting with yellowish stem Legs, except for tarsi, almost entirely densely microtomentose, gray; posterior surface of hindfemora and hindtibia in part bare, shiny black; tarsi yellowish brown to blackish brown, apical 2–3 tarsomeres darker Wing hyaline; costal vein ratio 044; M vein ratio 046

Figures 49, 50—Pelinoides obscurus: 49, male terminalia, lateral aspect; 50, internal male terminalia, lateral aspect

Abdomen: Terga generally about as densely microtomentose as mesonotum, mostly brown, but with posterolateral, narrow, wedge-like margins of terga 3–4 whitish Male abdomen and terminalia (Figures 49, 50) as follows: 5th sternum very broadly U-shaped, apex of each arm enlarged, densely setulose, sclerotization well developed throughout; epandrium, in lateral view, much broader ventrally, posteroventral margin without conspicuous projection; ventral epandrial margin wide, broadly and somewhat irregularly rounded, anteroventral margin with small, anterior projection; aedeagal apodeme narrowly triangular, base broad, thereafter narrowly but stoutly formed; aedeagus a very slender, conspicuously curved tube, apex pointed; gonite with 2 ventral projections, posterior one longer, pointed, anterior projection thick, apex blunt

TYPE MATERIAL—Holotype male is labeled “ECUADOR: Cotopaxi Pr[ovince] Pujili (653 km W) 3795 m elev 15 Jan 1978 WNMathis” Allotype female and 10 paratypes (6, 4; USNM) bear the same label data as the holotype Other paratypes are as follows: PERU Cuzco, 3300 m, 5–12 Aug 1965, P and B Wygodzinsky (1; AMNH) Puno: Pusi, 20 Oct 1965, JC Hitchcock, Jr (1; USNM) The holotype is double mounted (minute nadel in plastic block), is in excellent condition, and is deposited in the Smithsonian Institution (USNM)

DISTRIBUTION (Figure 51)—Ecuador and Peru, between 1° and 17° south latitude, at high elevations in the Andes

NATURAL HISTORY—I collected the type series from a paramo habitat in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador The specimens were swept from short sedges and other short and emergent foliage in and around a seepage area just a short distance from the road

ETYMOLOGY—The specific epithet, obscurus, is a Latin adjective meaning covered or dark, referring to the dense, microtomentose vestiture over most of the body, especially the mesofrons, giving a dull, obscure appearance

REMARKS—The densely microtomentose mesofrons and darkened knob of the halter distinguish this species from related congeners