Spilogona churchillensis Huchett, 1965

Sorokina, Vera S., 2025, New taxonomic notes on the genus Spilogona Schnabl, 1911 (Diptera: Muscidae) in Arctic Russia, with the description of three new species, Zootaxa 5584 (1), pp. 1-25 : 12-13

Spilogona churchillensis Huchett, 1965

Figs 4 A–C

Spilogona churchillensis Huckett, 1965: 213 . Type-locality: “Churchill, Manitoba, 7.22.47 [i.e. 22.vii.1947], T. N. Freeman ” [ CANADA, Manitoba] [seen].

Spilogona quinquesetosa (Schnabl, 1915) ; Sorokina, 2012b: 212 (Altai Mts); Sorokina, 2018: 244 (Altai Mts). Misidentification.

Notes. Spilogona churchillensis was synonymized with Spilogona quinquesetosa in 2018 (Sorokina, 2018). However, the re-examination of the types of both species and DNA analyses shows that Spilogona churchillensis differs from Spilogona quinquesetosa . The holotype of Spilogona quinquesetosa is in bad condition: without abdomen and mid and hind legs. According to the original descriptions and examination of the types some morphological differences between these two species have been found:

1 Scutellum without downwardly-directed preapical setulae on upper border of declivities; posthumeral and notopleural regions pale grey, in contract to darker adjoining surface; mid tibia usually with one v seta; hind femur with short pv setae in basal 1/3, sometimes these setae elongated; sternite 5 with a wide rectangular median notch ( Fig. 4C ); male cerci narrower ( Fig. 4A, B )....................................................................................... S. churchillensis

- Scutellum with downwardly-directed preapical setulae on upper border of declivities; posthumeral and notopleural regions dark brown; mid tibia usually with two or more v setae; hind femur without pv setae; sternite 5 with a deep triangular median notch ( Fig. 4D ); male cerci broader................................................................ S. quinquesetosa

The DNA barcoding confirmed the differences between Spilogona churchillensis and Spilogona quinquesetosa . The DNA barcodes for specimens under the name “ quinquesetosa ” from the Chukotka population and the Altai population were very different, with an intraspecific p-distance of from 4.26% to 4.59%. Altai specimens of “ quinquesetosa ” (Sorokina, 2018) proved to be genetically closest to Spilogona churchillensis from Manitoba, Canada (BOLD).

Thus, Spilogona churchillensis Huckett, 1965 is valid species and is not a junior synonym of Spilogona quinquesetosa (Schnabl, 1915) . Spilogona churchillensis has an arcto-alpine distribution, whereas Spilogona quinquesetosa has an arctic distribution.

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Siberia (Altai Mts). NEARCTIC: Manitoba.

DNA barcode. BOLD BIN: BOLD:AAB7605. See Table 1 for GenBank accession numbers.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Spilogona ssp. A–C. Spilogona churchillensis. A. Terminalia, lateral view. B. Cercal plate, dorsal view. C. Sternite 5. D. Spilogona quinquesetosa, sternite 5. E–K. Spilogona cordyluraeformis, scutum, dorsal view.