Helina nivaloides Albuquerque, 1956

Patitucci, Luciano Damián, Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo, Olea, Maria Sofia & Mariluis, Juan Carlos, 2013, Muscidae (Insecta: Diptera) of Argentina: revision of Buenos Aires province fauna, with a pictorial key to species, Zootaxa 3702 (4), pp. 301-347 : 328-330

Helina nivaloides Albuquerque, 1956

( Figs. 23 , 58–60 , 62 )

Redescription.

Male. Length. Body: 8.38–7.34 mm, Wing: 7.88–7.15 mm.

Head: Black with gray pollinosity. Dichoptic, front at vertex one-fifth of head width, ommatidia with short hairs. Frontal row with 6-8 pairs of setae distributed evenly between the lunule and the base of the ocellar triangle. Frontal vitta black; lunule dark brown; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, gena, postgena, and occiput black with gray pollinosity. Gena with black setae. Postocular setae convergent, inner vertical setae convergent and outer vertical setae divergent. Antenna black; in lateral view inserted at the mid-level of the eye; arista plumose. Palpus black, filiform.

Thorax. Scutum black with three gray pollinose vittae; scutellum; anepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron, katepisternum, proepisternum, proepimeron and meron black with gray pollinose; anterior and posterior spiracles dark brown. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 1+1; dorsocentrals 2+4; postpronotals 3; intra-alars 1+2; supra-alars 1+2; notopleurals 2, notopleuron bare. Prealar seta short and weak. Scutellum with basal, apical, and discal pairs of setae. Anepisternum with a series of strong setae; katepisternals 2+2; anepimeron, katepimeron and meron bare; proepisternals 1 strong and 1 thinner setae; proepimerals 2 strong and 1 thinner setae. Prosternum bare.

Wing. Hyaline, veins brown without setae; vein R4+5 and vein M straight. Both calypters yellow-white with yellow margin; lower calypter glossiform; halter yellow.

Legs. All femora black, apical part of hind femur yellow, fore and mind tibiae black, hind tibia yellow, tarsi dark brown; pulvilli yellow. Fore femur with rows of dorsal, posterodorsal, and posteroventral setae; fore tibia with 1 posterior setae on middle, and one preapical posterodorsal, dorsal, and posteroventral setae. Mid femur with 5-6 strong setae in the basal two-thirds on posteroventral surface; and 3 preapical setae on anterodorsal to posterior surface; mid tibia with 3 posterodorsal setae, 1 posterior in the apical middle, 1 posteroventral in the middle and 4 apical setae (anterodorsal, posteroventral, ventral, and anteroventral). Hind femur with anterodorsal row of setae; and a row on anteroventral surface in the apical middle; hind tibia with 3 setae on anterodorsal surface, 3 setae on posterior surface, and 3 setae on anteroventral surface; calcar absent.

Abdomen. Black, with with gray pollinosity. Sternite 1 bare. Sternite 5 setulose, with some strong setae, the posterior margin is membranous with two projections, and anterior margin is straight. Detailed illustrations of male terminalia can be found in Albuquerque (1956c).

Female. Length. Body: 8.63–8.34 mm, Wing: 8.05–8.17 mm.

Differs from male as follows: interocular space about one-third of head width at level of anterior ocellus; fronto-orbital plate setulose with 2 reclinate orbital seta. Prealar seta short and strong.

Terminalia. Ovipositor long, intersegmental membrane without microtrichiae. Tergites 6 and 7 sclerotized with two plates; tergite 8 mildly sclerotized; epiproct campanulate with setulae, cercus digitiform ( Fig. 58 ). Sternites 6 slightly sclerotized with setulae on distal margin; sternite 7 sclerotized plate; sternite 8 strongly rounded sclerotized; hypoproct triangular ( Fig. 59 ). Three spermathecae ( Fig. 60 ).

Type material examined. Holotype male, pinned, damaged, without abdomen, left wing and leg glued on card, “Itatiaia, Est. do Río, Brasil / (Macieira- 1930 m) / 0/10-3-951 / D. Albuquerque col.” print on white paper; “Holotipo” print on red paper, black frame; “ M. N. / N. [printed] 4898 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame; “ Helina / nivaloides , n. sp. [handwritten] / D. Albuquerque det. [printed]” on white paper, black frame ( MNRJ).

Other material examined. ARGENTINA : BUENOS AIRES: 1 male, Magdalena, Ea. Carretero, V-1999, Basilo leg. ( MACN); 2 females, 1 male, Magdalena, Ea. Carretero, IX-1999, Basilo leg. ( MACN).

Distribution in Argentina ( Fig. 62 ): Buenos Aires (new record).

Remarks. Helina nivaloides was described by Albuquerque (1956c) based on two male specimens collected in Brazil, with illustrations of the terminalia. We described the female with specimens collected in the Buenos Aires province.

Biology. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 23. 21. Dolichophaonia trigona, lateral view, with detail of cross-vein dm-cu. 22. Muscina stabulans, lateral view, with detail of M vein. 23. Helina nivaloides, lateral view, with detail of M vein.

FIGURES 58 – 60. Helina nivaloides, female. 58. Terminalia, dorsal view. 59. Terminalia, ventral view. Scale bar = 1 mm. 60. Spermathecae. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 61 – 65. Geographic distribution in Argentina. 61. Dolichophaonia trigona. 62. Helina nivaloides. 63. Phaonia trispila. 64. Graphomya auriceps. 65. G. maculata. Black dots: new records; gray squares: previous distribution; grey stars: province record (inexact data). Buenos Aires province is denoted in blue.