Titanogrypa (Titanogrypa) rubrigaster Dodge, 1965

Barbosa, Taciano M., Mello-Patiu, Cátia A. & Vasconcelos, Simão D., 2021, Revision of the New World subgenus Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with a reassessment of diagnostic characters, Journal of Natural History 55 (5 - 6), pp. 305-340 : 334-335

Titanogrypa (Titanogrypa) rubrigaster Dodge, 1965 (SUBGEN. STAT. REVAL.)

( Figure 8 (e–g))

Titanogrypa rubrigaster Dodge, 1965: 495 . Bahamas, Grand Bahama, West End.; Lopes 1969: 48 (catalogue). Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) rubrigaster ; Pape 1996: 432 (catalogue, new combination).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂ [photography]: BAHAMAS, Grand Bahamas Islands , West End, 12.v.1953, E.B. Hayden & G.B. Rabb leg. ( AMNH).

Diagnosis. Arista short plumose ( Figure 8 (e)); scutellum with a lateral patch of whitish hair-like setulae; R1 vein dorsally setose; abdomen mostly yellowish brown; vesica short, hood shaped, with sclerotised basal portion and membranous distal portion ( Figure 8 (f, g)); juxta composed by lobes shorter than the paraphallus ( Figure 8 (f,g)); median and lateral styli not apically exposed in lateral view ( Figure 8 (f); fig. 49 in Dodge 1965).

Redescription. MALE (n = 1). Body length = 5.0 mm (4.5–5.5 mm)

Head. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with silvery grey pruinosity; parafacial plate with row of setulae close to eye; frons about 0.25 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta entirely blackish; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 slightly divergent, 5 frontal setae reaching level of base of pedicel; reclinate orbital seta present, proclinate orbital setae absent; outer vertical setae 0.6x inner vertical setae and divergent; ocellar triangle black, with developed ocellar setae; postocellar and paravertical setae present; postocular area with grey pruinosity; gena with silvery grey pruinosity, black setae in anterior part and whitish setae close to occiput; postgena with silvery pruinosity and whitish setae; face with silvery pruinosity; facial ridge with silvery pruinosity; antenna black, first flagellomere with grey pruinosity and approximately 2.0x longer than pedicel; arista short plumose on basal 1/2; palpus blackish.

Thorax. Black with silvery-grey pruinosity, with slightly yellowish pruinosity on the distal 1/3 of mesonotum and scutellum; chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0 + 1, dorsocentrals 3 + 3 (2 posteriormost longer), intra-alars 1 + 2, supra-alars 1 + 3, postpronotals 3, notopleurals 4; katepisternals 3, almost in a straight line; postalar wall setulose; postalar callus with 2 setae; scutellum with a patch of whitish hair-like setulae onlateral margin and reaching ventral part, pairs of basal and subapical setae, a pair of weak preapical discal setae, and no apical setae; proepisternum bare; prosternum bare. Wing. Hyaline, with dark brown veins; tegula dark brown; basicosta yellowish; vein R1 dorsally setose; vein R4+5 with setulae dorsally; cell r4+5 open at wing margin; costal spine strong. Legs. Black with silvery pruinosity, pulvilli yellowish-brown; mid femur without posteroventral ctenidium; mid tibia nonvillous; hind coxa and trochanter with normal setae.

Abdomen. T1 + 2 blackish brown; T3 blackish brown in anterior half and yellowish brown in posterior one, with grey pruinosity; T4− T5 yellowish brown with grey pruinosity; T1 + 2− T4 with lateral marginal setae; T3− T5 without setae of wavy apex on the ventral surface; T4 with a pair of median marginal setae; T5 with a complete row of marginal setae, the median pair discally displaced ( Figure 8 (e)); ST5 deeply cleft with arms slightly divergent and black setulae.

Terminalia . Syntergosternite 7 + 8, epandrium and cerci yellowish brown with silvery grey pruinosity; syntergosternite 7 + 8 with about 3 pairs of marginal setae and sparse setulae; epandrium with 2 pairs of developed dorsal setae; surstylus short and clavate; cercus straight, tapered and rounded in distal end, with long setae along the anterior margin, in lateral view ( Figure 8 (e,f)), cercal prongs narrow and parallel in posterior view ( Figure 8 (g)); pregonite long and spatulate apex ( Figure 8 (f)); postgonite shorter than pregonite, with a long median setae ( Figure 8 (f)); distiphallus apex reasonably globose; vesica short, hood shaped, with sclerotised basal portion and membranous distal portion ( Figure 8 (f,g)); juxta composed by lobes shorter than the paraphallus ( Figure 8 (f,g)); median and lateral styli not apically exposed in lateral view ( Figure 8 (f); fig. 49 in Dodge 1965).

Female. Described and illustrated in Dodge (1965).

Distribution (Neotropical). Bahamas.

Comments. This species exhibits the diagnostic characters of the subgenus Titanogrypa , as previously discussed. Titanogrypa (T.) rubrigaster closely resembles T. (T.) alata because of its globose distiphallus and vesica without proximal projection, but differs from other species of Titanogrypa (s. s.) by the characteristic abdominal colour and the shapes of the cercus, paraphallus and vesica ( Figure 8 (e,f)).