Morellia (M.) obscuripes ( Bigot, 1887 )

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 : 65-67

28. Morellia (M.) obscuripes ( Bigot, 1887)

( Figs 109–114 )

Pyrellia obscuripes Bigot, 1887 : clxxiii [and 1888: 616]. Type locality: MEXICO. Holotype ♂, BMNH ( Pont 2000: 21; seen). Musca ochricornis , of authors [misidentification] (see Pont 1997: 107).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with blue reflections. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate with silver pruinosity; face, parafacial and gena brown with silver pruinosity; antenna yellow with grey pruinosity; basal half of arista yellow, apical half brown; palpus yellow; mesonotum metallic black with a slight blue reflection and with one silver dusted central vitta along acrostichals; postpronotal lobe grey pruinose; legs brown; haltere with brown stalk and yellow knob; calypters brownish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings; abdomen without pruinosity.

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

Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.13– 0.15 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and some setulae; 16–20 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 2.0–2.4 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 19– 22 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 4th to 5th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half length of vibrissa, and with a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 8–9 genal setae. Palpus expanded at apex.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong, longer than half the length of first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4; 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, latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall and suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3 long setae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 11 setae, with 3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose on posterior half; katepimeron with 2–5 setulae; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with posterodorsal, posterior and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and strong setae, many strong setulae on ventral surface, and 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae; fore tarsus with some long setae on basal segment; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to dorsal surfaces bearing about 4 short spines that continue as about 4 posterodorsal to posterior setae, a complete anterodorsal row of setae, and 4 strong ventral setae on basal half; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of very short spinose setulae on basal fourth that continues with fine setae on apical three-fourths, 2 strong posterior setae on middle third, 2 strong posteroventral setae on basal third and 1 on middle third, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of setae on basal two-thirds, 3 weak posteroventral setae on apical third, and 3 dorsal-posterodorsal setae; hind tibia with 4 anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of short setae on basal half and long setae on apical half, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, 3 posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds, 6 posteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, no anterodorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like golden ctenidium; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare before, and with 4 short setulae after, humeral cross-vein on dorsal surface, bare on ventral surface; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to beyond r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 2–3 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2, tergites 3–5 with a few setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 almost straight and with few setae ( Fig. 109 ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate convex laterally, ventrally with 1 strong spine; surstylus with few setae and some setae on apical two-thirds ( Figs 110–111 ); basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 1 long and strong seta on basal half; paramere with some setae apically ( Fig. 112 ).

Female. Body length: 6.5–7.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: frontal vitta brown; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.31– 0.32 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate setae, 4 proclinate setulae, 6 reclinate setae and many reclinate setulae; mid tibia with no tubercle, with only 6 posterodorsal-posteroventral oblique setae; hind tibia with 3 setae on apical half, and 1 anterodorsal seta on middle third.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 golf-club-shaped rods; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines; tergite 8 as 2 broad rods, anteriorly curved, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines; sternite 7 as 1 small rod, posteriorly with 3 plates with spines; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with spines; epiproct triangular, incised anteriorly, with many spines; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 113–114 ).

Material examined. MEXICO, no locality data, J. Bigot, holotype Ƌ ( BMNH) ; BRAZIL: Ceara, Pacatuba , 22.vii. 1973, H.S. Lopes, 2 ƋƋ ( MNRJ) ; Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo , i.1946, P Wygodzinski, 1 ♀ ( MNRJ) ; Rio de Janeiro, Três Rios , 8.viii.1984, S. Paiva, 1 ♀ ( MNRJ) . ARGENTINA: Tucuman, 1911, E.R. Wagner, 1 ♀ ( MNRJ) .

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Galápagos Is., and Argentina.

Figures

FIGURES 109 – 114. Morellia (M.) obscuripes (Bigot). 109. Sternite 5, male. 110. Cercal plate, male. 111. Left surstylus, male. 112. Phallic complex, lateral view. 113. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 114. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.