Morellia (M.) abdominalis Stein, 1918

Pamplona, Denise, Nihei, Silvio S., Couri, Márcia S. & Pont, Adrian C., 2016, Taxonomy of Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Muscidae): revision of the subgenera Morellia s. str. and Parapyrellia Townsend, Zootaxa 4163 (1), pp. 1-110 : 13-15

1. Morellia (M.) abdominalis Stein, 1918

( Figs 1–6 )

Morellia abdominalis Stein, 1918: 186 . Type locality: UGANDA, Mujenje. Syntypes: 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, HNHM (destroyed 1956) ( Pont & Werner 2006: 15; Pont 2013: 52).

Redescription. Colour. Thorax black and abdomen yellow. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity; gena with grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with a slight blue reflection and with one silver-dusted central vitta along acrostichal row; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum with silver pruinosity; fore and mid legs dark brown, hind leg paler; haltere yellow; lower calypter white to yellow; upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing clear, without dark spots; abdomen yellow.

Male. Body length: 6.0–8.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–7.0 mm.

Head. Eye bare, separated at the level of anterior ocellus by 0.13–0.18 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few setulae; 15–16 pairs of frontal setae, the last 2 or 3 weaker; postpedicel about 1.6–2.0 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 18–19 cilia, bare apicad, with some secondary plumes as far as level of 6th or 7th cilia; vibrissa as long as arista, 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to basal quarter of postpedicel; 6–7 subvibrissal setae followed by 9–10 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2 (the first pair weak); dorsocentrals 2 (weak)+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with short ground setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and lateroventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 5 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum covered with short setulae, posterior row with about 9 setae and few setulae, and 3 weak upper anterior setae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose only on subalar ridge; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds, a complete posteroventral row of setae, and a posterior row of some much shorter setae on basal third; fore tibia with a dorsal preapical seta; mid femur without a tubercle, with 1 anterior seta on middle third, an anterodorsal row of setae on basal half, 4 posterodorsal setae on apical half, 8 posteroventral setae on apical half, 2 ventral setae on basal third, 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae; mid tibia with an anterodorsal row of very short setae, 3–4 short setae on apical half, 1 posterior seta on middle third, a posteroventral row of 4–5 stronger setae on basal two-thirds, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 2 ventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae, the 3–5 on basal fourth short, and with few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5 short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, an anterodorsal row of short setae on basal two-thirds, a dorsal row of very short but strong setae, a posterodorsal row of 5 equidistant setae, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral and few posteroventral apical setulae; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 2 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 3–4 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. Tergites with lateral tufts of setulae; tergites 4 and 5 with setae apically; sternite 1 setulose; sternite 5 with posterior margin slightly concave, with few setulae on margins ( Fig. 1 ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate and surstylus as in Fig. 2 ; surstylus with cilia on apical third ( Fig. 3 ); aedeagal apodeme enlarged apically; basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with a long and strong seta on middle third and a small setula on apical third; paramere with some setae on middle third ( Fig. 4 ).

Female. Body length: 6.0–8.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–7.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: upper third of frontal vitta black with silver pruinosity, lower two-thirds reddish-black with little pruinosity; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.36–0.38 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate setae, 3 proclinate setulae and 1 reclinate seta; about 12 weak frontal setae; mid femur with 2 anterodorsal setae; hind femur with weaker anteroventral and anterodorsal setae; mid tibia without an anterodorsal row of setae; hind tibia with 3 setae on anteroventral surface, 2 at middle of anterodorsal surface and 5 on posteroventral surface, the apical one more developed; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or setation.

Ovipositor. Tergites 7 and 8 narrow, rod-like, and with 2 plates with setae, epiproct small, with 4 setae, cercus cylindrical and long ( Fig. 5 ); sternite 7 with long setae and sternite 8 as 2 small plates with setae, hypoproct longer than broad ( Fig. 6 ).

Material examined. MALAWI: Namwera , cattle dung, 4.ii.1932, W. A. Lamborn, 1 Ƌ ( BMNH) ; DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: Elisabethville district , iii.1933, M. Bequaert, 1 Ƌ ( BMNH) ; KENYA: Nairobi , vii.1930, van Someren, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Morellia (M.) abdominalis Stein. 1. Sternite 5, male. 2. Cercal plate and surstyli, male. 3. Left surstylus, male. 4. Phallic complex, lateral view. 5. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 6. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.