Oxysarcodexia terminalis ( Wiedemann, 1830 )

Souza, Carina Mara De, Pape, Thomas & Thyssen, Patricia Jacqueline, 2020, Oxysarcodexia Townsend, 1917 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) - a centennial conspectus, Zootaxa 4841 (1), pp. 1-126 : 98-99

Oxysarcodexia terminalis ( Wiedemann, 1830)

( Figs 254–256 )

Sarcophaga terminalis Wiedemann, 1830: 366 ; Brazil. Male syntype (s), not located. [Probably described from a single male originally deposited in NMW, but Aldrich (1930: 12) searched for the type(s) in NMW and noted that this was: “apparently no longer preserved in the Vienna Museum”.]

Amesothyrsus chilensis Enderlein, 1928: 41 ; Chile [junior secondary homonym of Sarcophaga chilensis Macquart, 1843 ]. Male syntypes; depository not located, probably lost [number of males not stated; Townsend (1938) examined a single male that he considered the holotype, but Pape (1995) did not consider this a valid lectotype designation as Townsend did not give details allowing for the recognition of the specimen; the type material was later sent from MNHU to Dr. H. R. Dodge as a loan and was apparently never returned].

Sarcophaga complicata Hall, 1937: 371 ; Chile. Male and female syntypes (number not indicated), in NHMUK (not examined).

Hybopygia pseudovaria Blanchard, 1939: 806 ; Argentina, Córdoba, La Rioja; Argentina, Buenos Aires. Male and female syntypes (number not specified), not located.

Diagnosis. Male. Length 9.0 mm. Postocular plate with silvery pollinosity. Ocellar bristles well developed. Thorax and abdomen with golden pollinosity more evident laterally; T5 partly with golden pollinosity. Three welldifferentiated post-sutural dorsocentral bristles posteriorly, although a small bristle can be present among these. Apical scutellar bristles absent. Legs dark brown. T3 with 2 pairs of lateral marginal bristles, T4 with 1 pair of median marginal and 1 pair of lateral marginal bristles. ST5 with deep median V-shaped cleft, with pilosity and bristles along margins of arms. Cercus, in lateral view, bent backwards with pointed obliquely cut apex. Cercus with bristles ventrally present at distal third. Cerci with distal third narrower than middle part in posterior view; diverging. Pregonite of equal width from base to apex; unicolorous. Postgonite with expanded base, gradually narrowing to apex; unicolorous. Distiphallus with smooth ventroapical margin, square/oblong apex and sinuous dorsal outline. Vesica symmetrical, with lateral lobes; distal lobes well developed, with filaments, tapering, partially membranous, with spines only along margins.

Remarks. Cercus bent backwards, slender in dorsal view ( Figs 255–256 ). These features of the cercus, together with the shape of the tip of the distiphallus in lateral view, the dorsoventrally compressed vesica, curved to form a half-circle and with distal lobes pointing towards the ventral surface ( Fig. 255 ), enable recognition of this species. See also remarks under O. augusta . The female of O. terminalis was described by Blanchard (1939) as presenting reddish distal segments, with golden pollinosity and T7 laterally sclerotized and divided medially by a membranous area, although no illustrations were provided. Based on this description, the female of O. terminalis can be placed within the female group possessing T7 divided into two plates, as defined by Tibana & Mello (1985). The mitochondrial genome of this species has been completely sequenced ( Carmo et al. 2019).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL. Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, La Rioja), Brazil (Distrito Federal*, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Paraná , Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo), Chile (Coquimbo, Nuble, Patagonia), Easter Island, Paraguay *, Peru, Uruguay (Canelones).

Biology. Oxysarcodexia terminalis is listed as a coprophagous species, reared from cattle dung and human feces ( Marchiori & Linhares 1999; Marchiori 2000; Marchiori et al. 2001; Mendes & Linhares 2002; Mulieri et al. 2010). It has been reared under laboratory conditions ( Lopes 1973b), albeit without further documentation of its development. Bovine, canine and human feces are the most attractive baits ( Ferreira 1979; Linhares 1981; Dias et al. 1984c; Mulieri et al. 2010; Barbosa 2015; Mulieri et al. 2015); it has also been collected from chicken viscera, bovine liver, mouse, rat and pig carcasses, dead fish and crab, rotten squid, fermented grapes, rotten banana mixed with yeast or brown sugar, and rotten S. comosa ( Lopes 1973b; Dias et al. 1984c; Flores & Dale 1995; Mariluis et al. 2007; Mulieri et al. 2008, 2011; Rosa et al. 2011; Beuter et al. 2012; Mulieri et al. 2015; Barbosa 2015; Dufek et al. 2016; Armani et al. 2017; Remedios-De León et al. 2017; Faria et al. 2018; Paseto et al. 2019; Remedios-De León et al. 2019). A preference for sunlit as opposed to shaded areas has been reported ( Linhares 1981). Dufek et al. (2016) consider this species both hemisynanthropic and non-synanthropic, but showing a preference for human settlements in Argentinean wetlands. Adults of O. terminalis has been collected in association with human cadavers ( Oliveira-Costa et al. 2001) as well as on flowers of Baccharis spp. ( Asteraceae ) ( Mulieri et al. 2010). It has also been collected in grasslands and urban, suburban and rural areas ( Linhares 1981; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Mulieri et al. 2008, 2011; Beuter et al. 2012; Remedios-De León et al. 2017, 2019), pastures ( Paseto et al. 2019) and in the Brazilian Cerrado ( Rosa et al. 2011; Faria et al. 2018), showing synanthropic habits and populational peaks from September to December ( Linhares 1981; Dias et al. 1984b; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Mulieri et al. 2010) and a higher abundance in the humid season ( Faria et al. 2018).

Material examined. [ ♂] Brasília, D.F., Brasil, XI-60, A. B. Guimarães / NRM-DIPT 0014357 [ NRM] // [♂] On human feces / H. S. Lopes 16.V.85 / Retiro Petrópolis E. do Rio, Brasil / O. terminalis [ MNRJ] // [♂] Taquara, Brasil Petropolis E. do Rio H. S. Lopes 28/VII/959 / Hybopygia terminalis (Wiedemann) Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] PARAGUAY, Asunción 11-1943 MIS.CIENT.BRASIL.col / Hybopygia terminalis (Wiedemann) Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] .

Photographs of an additional male from Argentina not listed above were provided by courtesy of Dr. Pablo R. Mulieri ( MACN).

Figures

FIGURES 254–263. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 254–256. Oxysarcodexia terminalis (Wiedemann) (Argentina, MACN). 254. Habitus, lateral view. 255. Terminalia, lateral view. 256. Terminalia, posterior view. 257–259. Oxysarcodexia thornax (Walker) (Brazil, São Paulo, Campinas, LIE). 257. Habitus, lateral view. 258. Terminalia, lateral view. 259. Terminalia, posterior view. 260–263. Oxysarcodexia timida (Aldrich) (Venezuela, Aragua, NHMD). 260. Habitus, lateral view. 261. Terminalia, lateral view. 262. Distiphallus, anterior view. 263. Terminalia, posterior view. Figs 254–256 by P.R. Mulieri (MACN).