Morellia (M.) curvitibia Stein, 1913

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 : 34-36

12. Morellia (M.) curvitibia Stein, 1913

( Figs 46–51 )

Morellia curvitibia Stein, 1913: 463 . Type locality: Tanzania, Mt Kilimandjaro. Syntypes: 2 ƋƋ, 3 ♀♀, HNHM (destroyed 1956), and 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, ZMHB ( Pont & Werner 2006: 38; Pont 2013: 66; seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate at upper middle black, fronto-orbital plate at lower middle, face, parafacial and gena black with silver pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus black; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and pleura silver pruinose, pleura more intensely so, with a presutural transverse stripe of grey pruinosity; legs brown; haltere yellow; calypters yellow with a white edge, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark maculae; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern, last tergite with silver pruinosity.

Male. Body length: 7.0– 7.5 mm; wing length: 7.0–8.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.10 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few long setulae; 15–20 pairs of frontal setae, some of them fine; postpedicel 3.0–3.1 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 3 setae and a few setulae; arista plumose, with 16–18 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 5th or 6th cilia; vibrissa as long as arista; 1 or 2 strong supravibrissal setae, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 6–7 subvibrissal setae followed by 6–7 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2, the first pair weaker; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with 5–6 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 10 setae, with 2 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds, becoming shorter basad, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with a posterodorsal row of short and strong setae, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae, and anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium of golden setulae; mid femur without an apical tubercle, with 2 anterior setae on middle third, 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae, a posterior row of fine setae on apical third, and with only short setulae ventrally; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like row of short and weak setae, 4 short and strong setae, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae and 1 posteroventral, 2 ventral and 1 anteroventral apical setae; hind femur with 3 or 4 anteroventral setae on apical third and some finer and shorter setae on middle third, an anterodorsal row of setae, 1 posterodorsal and 1 posterior preapical setae, posterior surface with a group of basal setulae, with a ventral row of fine and short setae on basal half, and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia slightly curved, with an anteroventral row of setae on apical half, an anterior row of setae of which 5 are longer and others shorter and finer on basal two-thirds, 1 subapical seta on posterodorsal surface, 1 posterior seta on basal third, 1 posteroventral comb of fine setae on middle third, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, and 1 posteroventral and 2 anteroventral apical setae; 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 4 short setulae before humeral crossvein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to r-m on dorsal surface, with 2 longer setulae on base, and 2 setulae on base of ventral surface; 2 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 3, 4 and 5 with stronger setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 deeply concave and with few setae ( Fig. 46 ).

Terminalia. Inner middle third of cercal plate straight; surstylus with setae on apical half ( Figs 47–48 ); aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; aedeagus with spicules on anterior membrane of distiphallus; basiphallus long; gonopod with two long and strong setae on basal half; paramere narrowed and with many setae apically ( Fig. 49 ).

Female. Body length: 7.0 mm; wing length: 7.0– 7.5 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.26–0.30 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 4 strong proclinate setae, the uppermost one weak, and 5 proclinate setulae, and 2 reclinate setae; hind femur with weaker setae and without the posterior setulae; hind tibia with shorter setae on anterior surface, only 3 setae on anteroventral surface and without a comb on posteroventral surface; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 golf-club-shaped and rod-like, posteriorly with 2 large plates with setae; tergite 7 rodlike, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with setae; tergite 8 sinuous, rod-like, posteriorly with 2 plates with strong spines; sternite 6 rod-like, anteriorly broadened, posteriorly with 1 plate with setae; sternite 7 rod-like, posteriorly with 1 plate with setae; sternite 8 rod-like, posteriorly with 2 plates with setae; epiproct with 4 setae; hypoproct longer than broad with many setae; cercus long and cylindrical ( Figs 50–51 ).

Material examined. TANZANIA: Kilimandjaro, x.1904, Katona, 1Ƌ and 1 ♀ syntypes ( ZMHB) ; UGANDA: West Ruwenzori, 8–9000 feet, vii.1945, van Someren, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) ; Bwamba Valley , vii.1945, van Someren, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Figures

FIGURES 46 – 51. Morellia (M.) curvitibia Stein. 46. Sternite 5, male. 47. Morellia (M.) curvitibia Stein, cercal plate and surstyli, male. 48. Left surstylus, male. 49. Phallic complex, lateral view. 50. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 51. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.