Philornis torquans ( Nielsen, 1913 )

Couri, Márcia S., Antoniazzi, Leandro R., Beldomenico, Pablo & Quiroga, Martin, 2009, Argentine Philornis Meinert species (Diptera: Muscidae) with synonymic notes, Zootaxa 2261, pp. 52-62 : 58-59

Philornis torquans ( Nielsen, 1913)

Mydaea anomala: Nielsen (1911: 195) . Misidentification, not Mesembrina anomala Jaennicke, 1867 . Mydaea torquans Nielsen, 1913: 252 (new name for anomala Jaennicke sensu Nielsen 1911 ). Lectotype male (ZMUC), by designation of Dodge (1968: 156). Type locality: Argentina, Concepción.

This species can be recognised as follows: frons silvery, antenna and palpus yellow; cheek yellow haired; scutum dark brown with grayish pollinosity, with the quadrivittate pattern typical of the genus; post-pronotum sometimes brownish yellow in female; tip of scutellum yellowish; legs yellow in male and brown in female; wing clear, some specimens with a faint brown mark on r-m and sometimes also on dm-cu cross vein; abdomen brown in female; tergites I–III yellow in male; width of frons at level of anterior ocellus 0.06–0.09 of head width in male and 0.19–0.20 in female; hind tibia variably curved in male with 4–6 anterodorsal setae and 2–3 anteroventrals on middle third. Female with 2–3 anterodorsal setae on middle third. Larva intradermal. Puparium brown, ovate, a little broader medially, surface shining, posterior end deep with rugose margins; spiracular slits “U or “V shaped. (Fig 2 of Aldrich 1923). No cocoon mentioned in the literature on this species.

Comments: The species is well known in the literature, from larvae, puparia, adults male and female. Skidmore (1985: 78) mistakenly mentioned the provenance of the type material as Concepcion ( Chile), but it originated from Concepción, Argentina ( Nielsen 1913).

The original description mentioned two anterodorsal setae on the hind tibia of the male, but Dodge (1968: 156) in the description of his lectotype for P. torquans corrected this to “hind tibia distinctly bowed, with four strong AD on more than middle third while the female has 2 anterodorsals.

The species was found among the material recently collected in Argentina as below.

Material examined: (LRA): 2 adults reared from larvae. Host: Pitangus sulphuratus (Tyrannidae) ; location: Reserva de la Escuela de Agricultura, Ganadería y Granja [ REAGG], Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: November 2007, accession # SF00053c, 2 adults reared from larvae, host: Polioptila dumicola (Polioptilidae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: January 2008, accession # SF00059c, 1 adult reared from larva, host: P. dumicola (Polioptilidae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: January 2008, accession # SF00060c, 1 adult reared from larva, host: P. dumicola (Polioptilidae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: January 2008, accession # SF00060c, 1 adult found in nest, host: Phacellodomus striaticollis (Furnaridae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: late March 2008, accession # SF00061, 2 adults reared from larvae, host: Zenaida auriculata (Columbidae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: late December 2007, accession # SF00062c, 6 adults reared from pupae found in nest, host: P. dumicola (Polioptilidae) ; REAGG, Santa Fe (3123'S 6055'W), collection date: early February 2008, accession # SF00065, 1 adult reared from larva, host: Phacellodomus ruber (Furnaridae) ; Road between Esperanza and Empalme San Carlos (3131'S 6051'W), collection date: February 2007, accession # 0 0 2.