Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes, 1989

Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo, 2017, Saying goodbye to monotypy in the poorly known genus Austrophyto Lopes, 1989 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae): new diagnosis and description of two new species, Zootaxa 4268 (1), pp. 88-100 : 90-93

Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes, 1989

( Figs 4, 7 , 10–13 , 27–28 , 35 )

Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes, 1989: 826 . Holotype male ( Lopes 1989; figs 1–6). Type locality: Argentina, Córdoba [as “ Cordova (Cordoba)”]). References: Pape (1996) (world catalogue); Mello-Patiu et al. (2014) (figure of phallus, list of species from Argentina).

Diagnosis. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with silvery microtomentum, genal dilation with silvery microtomentum; postgena with pale setae on posterior part; dorsocentrals 4 + 4 (the posteriormost larger); notopleuron with silvery-grey microtomentum; T3 with a pair of median marginal setae; T5 with lateral spots of silvery microtomentum; ST2–ST4 with short setulosity; syntergosternite 7+8 reddish-orange; cercal base flattened in profile; cercus with apex truncated (dorsal view); vesica membranous, downward and laterally projected and with a microserrated surface.

Redescription. Male. Body length 16.69 mm (n = 1).

Head. Head length at antennal base 1.09x (n = 1) head length at level of vibrissa; frons at its narrowest point 0.26x head width. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with silvery microtomentum; frontal vitta blackish; postocular area with silvery microtomentum; postcranium with silvery-grey microtomentum; ocellar triangle black, with silvery microtomentum; genal groove, genal dilation, postgena, face and facial ridge with silvery microtomentum; antenna brown; first flagellomere with grey microtomentum, 0.36x head height; arista short plumose on basal 0.5, with longest rays longer (2.86x) than maximum width of arista; palpus brown. Parafacial plate with a row of setulae close to eye, stronger in lower part; fronto-orbital plate with sparse setulae; postcranium with black setae on upper part and a few pale setae on lower part; eye bare; 9–11 frontal setae, the rows of frontal setae diverging strongly anteriorly at level of pedicel; 1 reclinate orbital seta; inner vertical seta strong and reclinate, outer vertical setae 0.3x the inner verticals and divergent; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of divergent and proclinate ocellar setae and supplementary setulae; postocellar and paravertical setae present; gena with black setae, postgena with pale setae on posterior part; facial ridge with setae close to vibrissa and setulae on lower half; 9–11 subvibrissal setae; palpus with black setae on apical half.

Thorax. Black, with silvery-grey microtomentum; prescutum and scutum with dorsal and lateral stripes of silvery-grey microtomentum and three black stripes; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron, katepisternum and anepimeron with spots of silvery-grey microtomentum; anepisternum with golden microtomentum; proepisternum silvery, bare. Chaetotaxy: 1 strong proepisternal seta plus 1 weaker and shorter supplementary seta; 1 proepimeral seta plus one or two weaker and shorter supplementary setae; katepisternals 3; postalar wall setulose; acrostichals 0 + 1, dorsocentrals 4 + 4 (the posteriormost larger), intra-alars 1–2 + 2–3, supra-alars 2 + 3 (the middle one stronger), anterior postpronotals 1, basal postpronotals 2, postalars 2, notopleurals 4 (two larger and two smaller). Scutellum with 2 pairs of lateral setae, 1 pair of crossed apical setae and 1 pair of weak, not well-differentiated discal setae. Wing hyaline, tegula brown, basicosta whitish and veins brown; vein R1 bare; vein R4+5 setulose in proximal 0.4–0.6 of distance to crossvein R-M; costal spine differentiated; third costal sector without ventral setae; cell r4+5 open; lower calypter whitish, usually with a dark brown median spot. Legs: coxae, trochanters and femora with silvery-grey microtomentum, tibiae somewhat paler brown; mid femur without a posteroventral ctenidium in its apical portion, with 3–4 anterior setae and a row of anteroventral setae; mid tibia with 1 anteroventral, 2 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal and 1 posterior setae; hind trochanter with a pad of short and stout setae; hind femur with anterior, anterodorsal, anteroventral and posteroventral rows of setae; hind tibia with 1 anteroventral, 2–5 anterodorsal (two larger) and 2 posterodorsal setae; mid and hind femur and tibia with long setulae; tarsi brown.

Abdomen. Dark brown or black; sternites exposed; syntergite 1+2 to T5 each with dorsal and lateral spots of silvery microtomentum; syntergite 1+2 and T3 each with 1 pair of lateral marginal setae; T3 with a pair of median marginal setae; T4 and T5 with a complete row of marginal setae; T5 with long setulosity on posteroventral margin; ST2–ST4 covered with short setulae.

Terminalia. ST5 V-shaped, reddish; arms of ST5 with conspicuous and well-projected, rounded, basal lobes covered with pale micro-pubescence (velvet-like) on their inner surface ( Fig. 13 ); ventral surface of ST5 with setulae, with larger setae towards apex ( Fig. 13 ); syntergosternite 7+8 reddish-orange with intense golden microtomentum, and with a row of weak marginal setae not differentiated from the few other setae present on its dorsal surface ( Fig. 10 ); epandrium reddish-orange, with long hair-like setae; cercus elongated, with long hair-like setulosity covering cercal base ( Figs 10–11 ); cercal base flattened in profile, 1.87x the length of cercal prong ( Fig. 11 ); surstylus long, spatulate in posterior view ( Fig. 11 ); pregonite curved ( Fig. 10 ); postgonite curved distally, with two strong setae ( Fig. 10 ); vesica ( Figs 4, 7 , 12 ) short and membranous, downward and laterally projected and with a microserrated surface; harpes ( Fig. 7 ) heavily sclerotized, with a rough surface; juxta with apico-lateral lobes somewhat sclerotized; medial juxtal sclerite elongated and deeply hidden between juxtal lobes ( Figs 7 , 12 ); lateral styli and median stylus tubular ( Fig. 7 ).

Female. Unknown.

Material examined. 1 ♂, Argentina, Córdoba, Departamento Calamuchita, El Sauce , XII.1941, M. Vianna leg. ( MACN) ; 1 ♂, Argentina, Jujuy, Departamento Ledesma, Sierra de Calilegua, without date or collector ( INTA) .

Distribution. Argentina (Córdoba, Jujuy) ( Fig. 35 ).

Remarks. The holotype of A. cordobensis was not located in MNRJ and is probably lost or misplaced. The illustration of the phallus provided by Lopes (1989) is somewhat schematic but confirms the identification of the examined specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 35. Map showing the known distributions of Austrophyto species.

FIGURES 1 – 9. Male terminalia of Austrophyto spp. 1. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of gonites, left lateral view. 2. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in apico-dorsal view; arrow showing incomplete dorsal hinge between basi- and distiphallus. 3. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in apical view; arrow showing partially broken left harpes. 4. Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes (specimen from Córdoba, MACN), phallus in latero-ventral view. 5. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), SEM image of phallus in lateroventral view. 6. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in latero-ventral view. 7. Austrophyto cordobensis (specimen from Córdoba, MACN), phallus in apical view. 8. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in apical view. 9. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN), phallus in apical view. Scale bars: 200 µm (Figs 1 – 4, 6 – 7, 9); 100 µm (Fig. 5, 8). Abbreviations: h, harpes; jl, juxtal lobe; ls, lateral stylus; mjs, medial juxtal sclerite; ms, median stylus; po, postgonite; pr, pregonite; v, vesica.

FIGURES 10 – 13. Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes (specimen from Córdoba, MACN). 10. Terminalia, left lateral view (phallus dissected). 11. Cerci and surstyli, dorsal view. 12. Phallus, left lateral view; arrow showing swollen, desclerotized ventral area. 13. Sternite 5, ventral view; arrows showing rounded basal lobes. Scale bars: 500 µm (Figs 10 – 11, 13); 200 µm (Fig. 12). Abbreviations: cer, cercus; ep, epandrium; pph, paraphallus, ST, sternite; stgst, syntergosternite; sur, surstylus; for other abbreviations, see Figs 1 – 9.

FIGURES 27 – 34. Austrophyto spp. 27 – 28. Austrophyto cordobensis Lopes (specimen from Córdoba, MACN). 27. Head in left lateral view. 28. Detail of arista, lateral view. 29 – 30. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MACN). 29. Detail of arista, lateral view. 30. Head in left lateral view. 31 – 32. Austrophyto noa sp. nov. (paratype, MNRJ). 31. Head in frontal view. 32. Left lateral habitus. 33 – 34. Austrophyto mariluisi sp. nov. (paratype, MACN). 33. Tip of abdomen in posterior view. 34. Left lateral habitus. Scale bars: 1 mm (Figs 27, 31 – 34); 200 µm (Figs 28 – 29); 500 µm (Fig. 30). For abbreviations, see Figs 10 – 13.