A cockroach of the genus Eurycotis Stål, 1874 (Blattodea: Eurycotiinae) living in bromeliads from a climatic relict on the Paraguaná Peninsula, northwestern Venezuela

The genus of cockroaches Eurycotis Stål, 1874, which currently includes some 60 species, is most diverse in the Greater Antilles, with limited representation in South America, including the Venezuelan species E. nigra Princis, 1952. Several species of this genus are known to inhabit bromeliads, particularly in mountainous regions, and some exhibit ecological associations with ants. A cockroach of this genus was found inhabiting an epiphytic bromeliad in the cloud forest of Cerro Santa Ana, an isolated mountain rising above the arid lowlands of the Paraguaná Peninsula in northwestern Venezuela. This cockroach exhibits a distinctive coloration pattern, characterized by the shape and position of the pronotal spots, which simulate eyes, and by unusual pink tones, which distinguish it from other species of the genus. The discovery of phytotelm-dwelling cockroaches on Cerro Santa Ana highlights the biogeographic uniqueness of this relict mountain summit ecosystem, suggesting a high potential for diversity of the genus not yet documented in Venezuela.