Microcerella hyperbole Santos, Mello-Patiu, Couri & Mulieri, 2025, sp. nov.

Microcerella hyperbole sp. nov. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7338316E-49EF-469A-9F46-4F7D79589293 Figs 7–8 Diagnosis Male: head without proclinate orbital setae; wings with vein R 1 bare; terminalia with epandrium black (Fig. 8D), basiphallus and distiphallus fused dorsally without a dorsal membranous strip (Fig. 7D), and vesica with a superior and inferior projection, the superior one little developed and the inferior one pointed (Fig. 7D–E). 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); 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); gena with black setae; postgena silvery-gray pruinose with blackish setae; antenna black (Fig. 8C); first flagellomere approximately 1.5 × as long as pedicel; arista micro pubescent on basal half (Fig. 8C); palpus blackish (Fig. 8A, C). THORAX. Dark brown with silvery-gray pruinosity (Fig. 8A–B); 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); 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); 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); 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). TERMINALIA. Black (Fig. 8D); cercus with numerous setae in basal half and sparse setae in apical half; cercal prongs divergent dorsally and rounded (Fig. 7B–C); surstylus bacilliform, with apical setae (Fig. 7B); pregonite slightly curved and longer than postgonite (Fig. 7D); postgonite with apex pointed and short seta inserted on anterior margin near middle (Fig. 7D); postgonal apodeme broad (Fig. 7D); basiphallus and distiphallus fused dorsally without dorsal membranous strip (Fig. 7D); vesica with superior and inferior projection, superior one little developed and inferior one pointed (Fig. 7D–E); juxta distinctly separated from paraphallus with long pointed anterior projection (Fig. 7D–E); acrophallus formed by median stylus, median process, and pair of lateral styli (Fig. 7D–E); median stylus, median process and lateral stylus almost straight with lateral stylus with spines in apex (Fig. 7D–E). 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), while the vesica has numerous projections and a smooth juxta in M. rufipes (Lopes 1982: figs 62–64). Distribution Ecuador (Cotopaxi).