Morellia (M.) violacea ( Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 )

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 : 86-89

40. Morellia (M.) violacea ( Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830)

( Figs 162–167 )

Pyrellia violacea Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 463 . Type locality: BRAZIL. Holotype/syntypes, formerly in Robineau-Desvoidy collection, now destroyed (not MNHN; see Evenhuis et al. 2010).

Pyrellia flavicornis Macquart, 1848a: 218 ; 1848b: 58. Type locality: BRAZIL. Lectotype ♀, BMNH (des. Pont 2012: 62 –63; seen).

Pyrellia ochrifacies Rondani, 1850: 177 . Type locality: BRAZIL, São Paulo, São Sebastião Island . Syntypes: 1 ♀, IMZ.

Pyrellia rufipalpis Macquart, 1851a: 225 ; 1851b: 252. Type locality: BRAZIL, Minas Gerais. Lectotype ♀, MNHN (des. Pont 2012: 85 –86; seen).

Pyrellia facilis Walker, 1858: 214 . Type locality: SOUTH AMERICA. Holotype Ƌ, not located and presumed destroyed (not BMNH).

Cyrtoneura brevis Schiner, 1868: 303 . Type locality: [SOUTH AMERICA]. Syntypes: 4 ƋƋ, 1 ♀, NHMW ( Stein 1918: 204).

Pyrellia iris Bigot, 1878: 36 . Type locality: MEXICO. Lectotype ♀, BMNH (des. Pont in Carvalho et al. 1993: 14; also seen by Pont 2000: 16 –17; seen).

Pyrellia chloe Bigot, 1878: 36 . Type locality: ECUADOR, Quito. Lectotype ♀, BMNH (des. Pont in Carvalho et al. 1993: 14; also seen by Pont 2000: 9; seen).

Morellia aconquija Shannon & Del Ponte, 1926: 581 . Type localities: ARGENTINA , Tucumán : San Miguel de Tucumán, Parque Aconquija ; & Jujuy , San Pedro de Jujuy. Syntypes: 2 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀, location unknown (? USNM).

Cyrtoneuropsis cyanea Macquart of Townsend 1931a: 68 [misidentification].

Cyacyrtoneura cyanea Townsend, 1931b: 479 . “New name” for Cyrtoneuropsis cyanea sensu Townsend, 1931a . Type locality: based on specimens from Peru, Brazil, Venezuela. Syntypes: 6 exx., formerly in ZMHB but not found (Pont et al. 2005: 64– 65; Pont & Werner 2006: 39).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with violet reflections. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate shining black; parafacial light brown, black along eye margin; gena light brown with silver pruinosity; antenna yellow with pedicel darker, basal half of arista yellow; palpus yellow; mesonotum metallic black with a slight blue reflection and with one white-dusted central vitta in front of suture and on each postpronotal lobe; legs brown; haltere with brown stalk and yellow knob; calypters brownish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing with a faint mark at base; abdomen without pruinosity.

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

Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.12– 0.13 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with 3 or 4 pairs of setae; 18–20 pairs of frontal setae, some weak; postpedicel 2.0–2.5 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 18–19 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 4th to 6th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 6 subvibrissal setae followed by 9 genal setae. Palpus expanded at apex.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 2 basal, 2 latero-discal, 1 apical and 1 subapical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall and suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3–4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 2–3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae, longer on basal two-thirds, and a complete posteroventral row of long setae; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and strong setae, 1 posteroventral, 1 anteroventral and 1 dorsal preapical setae, and anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 3–4 agglutinated short spines that continue as about 4–5 posterodorsal to posterior setae, with a row of anterior setae ending near the tubercle, 4 posteroventral setae at apex, and 5 ventral setae on basal half; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of strong setae on basal third that continues as fine setae on apical twothirds, with 1 strong seta on middle third, 2 strong setae on basal third, 1 strong seta on apical third, and 2 dorsal, 1 posterior, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; mid tarsus with strong setae ventrally; hind femur with 4 anteroventral setae on apical third, an anteroventral row of setae, 3 posterodorsal-dorsal preapical setae, and some posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5 long and fine setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of many setae of which 3–4 are stronger on apical half, a dorsal row of very short but strong setulae, 2 long and strong posterodorsal setae on basal third, 1 seta on apical third, 1 anteroventral and no anterodorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral, 1 posterior, 1 posteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium; hind tarsus with strong setae ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare before humeral cross-vein and with about 1–2 short setulae after humeral cross-vein on dorsal surface, and bare on ventral surface; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to midway to r-m on dorsal surface and bare at base on ventral surface; 4 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3 to 5, and with setae on disc on tergites 4 and 5; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with setae on membrane ( Fig. 162 ).

Terminalia. Outer margin of cercal plate slightly convex; ventral surface of cercal plate curved; surstylus with one seta and a few setae ( Figs 163–164 ); basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with one very long and strong seta on basal half; paramere with many setae apically ( Fig. 165 ).

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

Similar to male, differing as follows: frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black with grey pruinosity, parafacial yellow with silver pruinosity, gena yellow with silver pruinosity; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.30–0.35 of head width; 15 frontal setae; fronto-orbital plate with many proclinate and reclinate setulae; mid femur without a tubercle and spines, with only about 5 anterodorsal to posterodorsal setae; hind femur with 6 shorter anteroventral setae; hind tibia with 4 shorter anteroventral, a few small anterodorsal setae, and without posteroventral setae.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 shaped as 2 golf-club-like rods; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 triangular plates with setae; tergite 8 as 2 broad rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with many strong setae; sternite 7 as 3 plates with spinose setae; sternite 8 as 2 small rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setulae and setae; epiproct triangular with many small setae; hypoproct with some long setae; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 166– 167 ).

Material examined. MEXICO: no further data, lectotype ♀ of Pyrellia iris Bigot ( BMNH) ; Acatipla, W.G. Downs, 1 ♀ (MNRJ); ECUADOR: Quito , lectotype ♀ of Pyrellia chloe Bigot ( BMNH) ; Ibarra , i.1930, R. Benoist, 1 Ƌ ( MNRJ) ; BRAZIL: no further data, lectotype ♀ of Pyrellia flavicornis Macquart ( BMNH) ; Minas Gerais, lectotype ♀ of Pyrellia rufipalpis Macquart ( MNHN) ; Espirito Santo, Linhares , v.1972, P.C. Elias, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( MNRJ) ; Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo , i.1946, P. Wygodzinski, 1 Ƌ ( MNRJ) ; VENEZUELA: 1864, Lindig , 2 ƋƋ, 2 ♀♀, possible syntypes of Cyrtoneura brevis Schiner ( NHMW) .

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: throughout Central and South America.

Figures

FIGURES 162 – 167. Morellia (M.) violacea (Robineau-Desvoidy). 162. Sternite 5, male. 163. Cercal plate (above) and detail of the ventral spined process (below), male. 164. Left surstylus, male. 165. Phallic complex, lateral view. 166. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 167. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.