Morellia (M.) nepalensis Pont, 1972

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 : 56-59

24. Morellia (M.) nepalensis Pont, 1972

( Figs 90–95 )

Morellia nepalensis Pont, 1972b: 326 . Type locality: NEPAL, Khumbu district (Province No. 3), Chukhung. Holotype Ƌ, ZSBS (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with light grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity; gena with light grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with a silver dusted central vitta in front of the acrostichals and a grey dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals, pleura grey pruinose; postpronotal lobe silver pruinose; fore and mid legs dark brown, hind legs paler; haltere with brown stalk and brownish knob; calypters whitish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings, but with a very faint spot in br and bc cells; [holotype without the abdomen].

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

Head. Eyes bare but with many of the usual minute hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.21 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with many long setulae; about 22 pairs of frontal setae and many other long setulae; several proclinate setulae; postpedicel about 1.9 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 3 setae; arista plumose on middle third, with about 11 cilia, bare apicad, and pubescent on basal third, with some secondary plumes as far as level of 2nd or 3rd cilia; vibrissa as long as arista; many strong supravibrissal setae, and many other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 7 subvibrissal setae followed by 7 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 2+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, half the length of first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with groundsetulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal, 1 discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 4 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 4 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite bare. Legs: fore femur with complete posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae, and like other parts of the body it is covered with many long ground-setulae; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and weak setae, 4 long posteroventral setae on apical half, the lowermost 2 longer, a posterior row of short setae, the 3 on the middle third stronger, many setulae on ventral surface, 2 anterior, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium and with some long setae on basal segment; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 18 strong setae arranged like a tuft, with 7 anterior setae on basal half, 3 of them stronger, without ventral setae on basal half, and with many long and weak posterior to posteroventral setae on apical half; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of very short spines on basal half and setulae, longer apicad, a posteroventral row of 5 strong setae on middle third alternating with another 4 shorter setae, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae and 1 anteroventral, 1 anterior, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical half, an anterodorsal row of setae, and some long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia curved, with 7 long and weak anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, an anterodorsal row of short setae of which those on basal third are shorter and spinose and one in the middle is longer, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a posterior row of setae, the median and the subapical ones stronger, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae and 1 anteroventral and no posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. 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 cross-vein 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 and at base on ventral surface; 4–5 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. Holotype with the apical two-thirds dissected; syntergite 1+2 with a lateral tuft of setulae; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with some setae on membrane ( Fig. 90 , apical half).

Terminalia. Surstylus with some setae on apical half; basiphallus long ( Figs 91–92 ); aedeagus bare; gonopod with 1 long and strong setula; paramere with some small setulae apically ( Fig. 93 ).

Female. Body length: 8.00 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.47 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with long dense proclinate setulae; mid femur without a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces and no strong setae arranged like a tuft, with 5 anterior setae on basal half, 3 of them stronger, with 3 posterior to posteroventral setae on apical half; hind tibia with stronger setae, with an anterodorsal row of short setae along the whole surface and without the shorter and spinose setae on basal third. Abdomen with many scattered setae.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 golf-club-shaped rods, posteriorly with 3 groups of setae and a plate with some setae; tergite 7 as 2 golf-club-shaped rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines; tergite 8 as 2 broad rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with spine-like setae; sternite 6 as 1 small rod, posteriorly with a plate with setae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 4 round plates with setae; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with small spines; epiproct small with 4 setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical ( Figs 94–95 ). Material examined. NEPAL: Khumbu district (Province No. 3), Chukhung, 4800–5000 m, 9.vi.1964, W. Dierl, holotype Ƌ and 1 Ƌ paratype ( ZSBS) ; Makalu, 16,000 feet, 3.vi.1954, L. Swan, 1 ♀ paratype ( CAS). Distribution. ORIENTAL: Nepal.

Figures

FIGURES 90 – 95. Morellia (M.) nepalensis Pont. 90. Sternite 5, male. 91. Cercal plate, male. 92. Left surstylus, male. 93. Phallic complex, lateral view. 94. Ovipositor, dorsal view, female paratype. 95. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view, female paratype.