Morellia (M.) basalis ( Walker, 1853 )

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 : 22-24

5. Morellia (M.) basalis ( Walker, 1853)

( Figs 21–26 )

Musca basalis Walker, 1853: 347 . Type locality: JAMAICA . Holotype Ƌ, BMNH (seen). Lucilia surrepens Walker, 1861: 312 . Type locality: MEXICO . Holotype ♀, BMNH (seen). Pyrellia scapulata Bigot, 1878: 35 . Type locality: MEXICO . Lectotype Ƌ, BMNH (des. Pont in Carvalho et al. 1993: 10; see

also Pont 2000: 25; seen).

Pyrellia flora Bigot, 1878: 36 . Type locality: HAITI. Holotype ♂, BMNH ( Pont 2000: 14; seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with violet reflections. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate brown, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, face, parafacial, gena and antenna yellow, with silver pruinosity; arista yellow; palpus yellow; mesonotum metallic brown with a slight blue reflection and silver dusted in front of the acrostichals and dorsocentrals; postpronotal lobe yellow; pleura and legs yellowish-brown; haltere reddish-yellow; calypters whitish, upper one white and opaque on outer third; wing without dark markings. Abdomen bluish-black without pruinosity.

Male. Body length: 6.0–7.0 mm; wing length: 5.0–6.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.10–0.12 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and a few setulae; 14–16 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 2.3–3.0 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 20–25 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 5th to 7th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and few other setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 4–5 subvibrissal setae followed by 7–9 genal setae. Palpus expanded at apex.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 2, strong; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4, the innermost weaker; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal, 1 apical and 1 preapical pairs of strong setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3–4 long setae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 1–2 weak upcurved setae on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose on posterior half; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with complete rows of setae on posterodorsal and dorsal surfaces, and a posteroventral row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and strong setae, 2 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, 2 posteroventral apicals, and on anteroventral to ventral surface with a brush-like golden ctenidium; fore tarsus with some long setae on basal segment; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 4 short spines that continue as about 6–7 posterodorsal to posterior setae, with an anterodorsal row on basal half, and 5 ventral setae on basal half; mid tibia with an anterior row of very short setae, 6 strong and short spine-like anterodorsal setae at base, 1 posterior seta on middle third, 3 strong posteroventral setae on basal two-thirds, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 2 anterior and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with 4–5 anteroventral setae on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae that become shorter apicad, and 3 posterodorsal preapical setae; hind tibia with 5 anteroventral setae on apical half, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, 1 on basal third and a long and strong posterodorsal seta on apical third, 2 posteroventral, 1 anteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium on apical third; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare dorsally before humeral cross-vein and with about 2–3 short setulae after humeral cross-vein, and bare on ventral surface; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; basicosta with 4–6 strong setae.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of weak setulae on syntergite 1+2, other tergites with just ground-setulae; sternite 1 setulose. Sternite 5 with posterior margin narrow and with few setae ( Fig. 21 ).

Terminalia. Inner middle third of cercal plate convex ( Fig. 22 ); surstylus with a seta and short setae on apical half and a seta on basal half ( Fig. 23 ); aedeagal apodeme a little enlarged apically; aedeagus with spicules on anterior membrane of distiphallus; gonopod with a long and strong seta and a small seta on basal third; paramere with many setae apically ( Fig. 24 ).

Female. Body length: 5.5–6.0 mm; wing length: 5.0–6.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: frontal vitta reddish-black with little pruinosity; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.28–0.29 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with many proclinate setae and 2 reclinate setulae; mid femur with 4 dorsal-posterodorsal spines and some fine ventral setae.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 golf-club-like; tergites 7 and 8 rod-like, anteriorly curved and posteriorly as two plates with small spines; sternite 6 very small; sternite 7 as three plates with spines, sternite 8 as 2 plates with setae; epiproct large, with many small setulae; hypoproct large with many setae, incised anteriorly; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 25–26 ).

Material examined. MEXICO: holotype ♀ of Lucilia surrepens ( BMNH) labelled as “ Mexico ” ; lectotype Ƌ of Pyrellia scapulata ( BMNH) labelled as “ Mexico ” ; JAMAICA: holotype Ƌ of Musca basalis ( BMNH) labelled as “Jamaica” ; HAITI: holotype Ƌ of Pyrellia flora ( BMNH) labelled as “Haïti” ; CUBA: Havana, 1909, P. Serre, 1 Ƌ, 2 ♀♀ ( MNRJ) ; " Comoapan, Ver ", 25.v.1951, A. Barrera, 1 Ƌ ( MNRJ) .

Distribution. NEARCTIC: south Texas and south Florida. NEOTROPICAL: Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Cuba, Haïti, Puerto Rico, Virgin Is., Venezuela.

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 26. Morellia (M.) basalis (Walker). 21. Sternite 5, male. 22. Cercal plate and surstyli, male. 23. Left surstylus, male. 24. Phallic complex, lateral view. 25. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 26. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.