Helina chilensis Malloch, 1934

Patitucci, Luciano Damián, Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo & Mariluis, Juan Carlos, 2016, Taxonomic review of the species of Helina R. - D. (Diptera: Muscidae) from Andean-Patagonian forests, Zootaxa 4150 (3), pp. 281-313 : 291-294

Helina chilensis Malloch, 1934

( Figs. 5 , 9 D)

Helina fulvocalyptrata Malloch, 1934 . New synonymy. Helina simplex Malloch, 1934 . New synonymy.

For a complete list of references, see the catalog by Carvalho et al. (2005). Information subsequent to this catalog: Helina chilensis ; Löwerberg-Neto et al. 2011 (biogeography); Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2013 (checklist).

Helina fulvocalyptrata ; Pont & Werner 2006 (type specimens); Löwerberg-Neto et al. 2011 (biogeography); Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2013 (checklist); Pont 2013 (type specimens).

Helina simplex ; Löwerberg-Neto et al. 2011 (biogeography); Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2013 (checklist, new records).

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 5 A). Length. Body: 5.56–7.67 mm, wing: 5.23–6.76 mm.

Head ( Fig. 5 B). Black. Holoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.16–0.32 mm. 6–8 pairs of frontal setae. Eye hairs long and sparse. Lunule pale brown; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, gena, postgena, and occiput black with silver pollinosity. Postocular setae proclinate. Parafrontal plate bare. Antenna dark brown; arista plumose, two or fourth times as long as its basal diameter. Palpus black.

Thorax ( Fig. 5 C). Scutum black with three white-grey pollinose vittae; scutellum; anepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron, katepisternum, proepisternum, proepimeron and meron black with grey pollinosity; anterior and posterior spiracles black. Chaetotaxy: acrostichal setae 1-2+1; dorsocentral setae 2–4; humeral setae 3–5; notopleural setae 2, posterior seta smaller. Prealar strong, one third-one fourth of the length of the anterior supraalar postsutural seta. Scutellum with thinner and short basal and subapical setae. Anepisternum with a series of 4–6 strong setae.

Wing. Infuscate, brown; costal spine two or three time as long as its costal bristles; the transverse cross-vein dm-cu slightly curved; vein R 4+5 and vein M divergent apically; cross vein dm-cu in basal half of cell r4+5. Both calypters yellow with yellow margins.

Legs. Coxa and trochanter black; fore femur black (some specimens yellow apically), fore tibia black; mid femur black at base with apical third yellow (some specimens with apical middle yellow), mid tibia black or darkbrown; hind femur black at base with apical third yellow (some specimens with apical two-third or more yellow), hind tibia dark-brown. Fore femur with rows of dorsal, posterodorsal, and posteroventral setae; fore tibia with one posterior setae, and 3 preapical setae. Mid femur with 4–6 setae in the basal third on ventral surface, and 3 preapical setae on posterodorsal to posterior surface; mid tibia with 3–4 posterior setae, 1–2 posteroventral seta, 1– 2 anterodorsal setae (some speciemens without setae) and 4 apical setae (anterodorsal, posteroventral, ventral, and anteroventral). Hind femur with a anterodorsal row, and 4–5 setae in the apical middle of anteroventral surface; hind tibia with 3–5 anteroventral setae, 3–6 anterodorsal setae, and 6–7 posterodorsal setae, calcar absent. Fore claws and pulvilli longer than mid and hind.

Abdomen ( Fig. 5 D). Black with brown pollinosity. Sternite 5 longer than wide, with several strong setae on the apical third; posterior margin with two projections ( Fig. 5 E).

Terminalia . Cercal plate longer than wide, with a distal incision; with two straight protuberances at the apex ( Fig. 5 F). Surstylus curving forwards basally and inwards apically, with a wide margin in posterior view, and with strong setae on inner surface ( Figs. 5 F–G). Aedeagus with aedeagal apodeme straight and strongly sclerotized; epiphalus slightly sclerotized, paramere slightly bent downward with setula; gonopod with short setulae; and distiphallus tubular, slightly sclerotized ( Fig. 5 H).

Female. Length. Body: 6.11–7.05 mm, wing: 5.80–6.02 mm.

Differs from male as follows: Head, dichoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.85–0.89 mm; frontoorbital plate setulose with 2 reclinate orbital setae. Parafrontal plate setulose. Legs. Mid femur with 4–5 setae in the basal third on ventral surface; with a row of anterior setae in the basal middle, and 3 preapical setae on anterodorsal to posterior surface. Hind femur with only an anterodorsal row setae, and 3 long and curved setae in the basal third on anteroventral surface, hind tibia with only 3 anteroventral setae and 4 anterodorsal setae. Terminalia . Tergite 8 with 2 parallel sclerotized plates, fused and with setulae on distal margin; epiproct with proximal margin curved, and several strong spines, cercus digitiform with strong spine ( Fig. 5 I). Hypoproct rounded, sclerotized, with strong setulae on distal margin ( Fig. 5 J).

Type material examined. Holotype 1 male, pinned, without left wing, labels: “ Helina / chilensis / Type [handwritten] / det. JRMalloch [printed]” on white paper, black frame; “Perales / I-25 ” handwritten on white paper; “Type No.[printed] / 49855 [handwritten] / U.S.N.M. [printed]” on red paper (USNM). Holotype, 1 male, pinned, damaged, “ Helina / simplex / Type [handwritten] / det. JRMalloch [printed]” on white paper, black frame; “Type No. [printed] / 49854 [handwritten]” on red paper (USNM). Holotype 1 male, pinned, without fore and mind legs, labels: “ Helina / fulvocalyptrata / Type [handwritten] / det. JRMalloch [printed]” on white paper, black frame; “Argentina: / Terr. Rio Negro. / F. & M. Edwards. / B. M. 1927-63.” printed, on white paper; “L Correntoso. / 18- 25.xi.1926.” printed, on white paper; “Holo- / type” printed, on white paper, red frame (BMNH).

Other material examined. ARGENTINA: Chubut: 1 male, PN Lago Puelo, Intendencia, -42.085077, - 71.614662, 15-I-2011, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. ( MACN) ; 6 females, PN Los Alerces, Cabaña La Cascada, - 42.888499, -71.592376, II-2013, Patitucci leg. (MACN); 1 male, PN Los Alerces, Puerto Mermoud, -42.723187, - 71.748741, X-2014, Mulieri leg. (MACN); Mendoza: 3 males, Malargüe, Valle Hermoso, -35.066667, - 70.216667, 10-I-1993, Medan leg. ( FAUBA) ; Neuquén: 4 females, APN Batea Mahuida, -38.845457, -71.093002, I-2013, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. ( MACN) , 2 males, APN Batea Mahuida, -38.837593, -71.097928, XII-2013, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN), 4 females, Cerro Chapelco, -40.197050, -71.298453, I/ II-1983, Gentili leg. (MACN); 2 females, 4 males, Cerro Chapelco, -40.197050, -71.298453, II-2011, Mariluis leg. (MACN); 2 males, Copahue, -37.820278, -71.101111, I-2002, Medan & Alvarez leg., (FAUBA), 1 female, 1 male, PN Lanín, Hua Hum, -40.116265, -71.662723, II-2011, Patitucci leg. (MACN); 3 males, PN Lanín, Lago Tromen, -39.563419, - 71.418872, XII-1998, Medan & Basili leg. (FAUBA), 1 female, PN Lanín, Mirador Bandurrias, -40.159804, - 71.371661, II-2011, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN), 2 females, 3 males, PN Lanín, Ñorquinco, -39.146931, - 71.232717, I-2013, Olea, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN), 4 females, 2 males, PN Lanín, Ruca Choroi, - 39.229641, -71.177417, 10-I-2013, Olea, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN), 5 females, 2 males, PN Lanín, Seccional Bandurrias, -40.144240, -71.342986, II-2011, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN). 1 female, San Martín de los Andes, -40.162242, -71.356484, I-1962, ( MACN) , Río Negro: 3 females, PN Nahuel Huapí, Llao Llao, - 41.046, -71.572897, 8-I-1962, ( MACN) ; Santa Cruz: 2 females , 4 males, PN Los Glaciares, Península Magallanes, Río Mitre , -50.418967, -72.742651, XII-1994, Mariluis leg. ( MACN) . CHILE: Región de Bio-Bio: 3 females , 1 male, Concepción, Parque Botánico Hualpen, -36.8300, -73.0500, II-1970, Cekalovic leg. (MNRJ).

Distribution ( Fig. 9 D). ARGENTINA: Chubut (new record), Mendoza (new record), Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz (new rercord). CHILE: Región de Bio-Bio, Región de los Lagos.

Remarks. Stein (1904) described Spilogaster fulvisquama based on a single female from an unspecified location of Chile. Later, Malloch (1934) described H. fulvocalyptrata with specimens from several locations of Argentina and Chile, and suggested that it was similar to S. fulvisquama . More recently, Pont (1972) explicitly established the synonym. Also, Malloch (1934) described H. chilensis from one male specimen from Perales, Chile, and H. simplex from a single male specimen without locality. In our samplings, we collected the following combinations from different localities: male specimens of H. fulvocalyptrata with female specimens of H. simplex ; male specimens of H. chilensis with female specimens of H. simplex , and male and female specimens of H. simplex . We observed that the variation in the coloration of legs and in the number of setae in the mid and hind tibia of males was not correlated with differences in terminalia structures, which are similar in all specimens. Based on these observations, we concluded that these are the same biological entity. The three names available were published by Malloch (1934); we chose H. chilensis because it was first mentioned ( Malloch 1934: 176), and provide a redescripton with details of female and male terminalia .

Biology. Specimens collected by the authors were captured with a baited trap, a Malaise trap, and a hand net over vegetation. Several of the specimens studied in this work were collected on Discaria nana with a hand net over 2000 m a.s.l.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Helina chilensis Malloch. A – H. Male: A. Lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm). B. Head, frontal view. C. Thorax, dorsal view. D. Abdomen, dorsal view (scale bars: 0.5 mm). E. Sternite 5 (scale bar: 0.2 mm). F. Cercal plate and surstyli, posterior view. G. Cercal plate and surstyli, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). H. Phallic complex, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). I – J. Female, apical portion of ovipositor: I. Dorsal view. J. Ventral view (scalebar: 0.5 mm). (Abbreviations: aed apod, aedeagal apodeme; distiph, distiphallus; epiph, epiphallus; epiprct, epiproct; gon, gonopodo; hyprct, hypoproct; par, paramere; st 8, sternite 8; tg 8, tergite 8.)

FIGURE 9. Geographical distribution. A. Helina araucana sp. nov. B. Helina australis Carvalho & Pont. C. Helina bigoti Malloch. D. Helina chilensis Malloch. E. Helina connexa Malloch. F. Helina discolor (Stein). G. Helina dorada sp. nov. (Green area: Andean-Patagonian forests; orange circle: new records; blue triangle: previous distribution.)