Otites Latreille 1804

Morgulis, Elizabeth, 2015, Two peculiar new species of Otites Latreille 1804 (Diptera: Ulidiidae) with reduced phallus, Zootaxa 3949 (4), pp. 567-574 : 568

Genus Otites Latreille 1804

Otites Latreille 1804: 196 . Type species: Musca porcus Latreille, 1804: 196 (as Musca porcus Bosc collection), by monotypy. Otites Latreille, 1805: 383 . Type species: Otites elegans Latreille, 1805: 383 by monotypy (unavailable name, originally published in synonymy); invalid type designation.

Diagnosis. This genus differs from other Otitini in the following combination of characters: pedicel about as high as long; 1st flagellomere elliptic to rounded; epiphallic sclerite present; lateral surstylus without prensisetae.

Redescription. Head: Structure: Usually higher than long, sometimes almost as long as high. Frons as long as wide or slightly wider than long. Face with projecting carina; antennal groove deep. Eye as high as long or higher than long. Pedicel shorter than 1st flagellomere; first flagellomere elliptical, rounded apically. Arista with short hairs. Palpus elongate, spatulate to slightly oblanceolate, mostly as long as antenna, excluding arista. Color and vestiture: Frons with matt orange to brown median vitta; laterally white, silvery or gray microtrichose, including orbit; microtrichia often extend ventrally onto parafacial. Face yellow to brown. First flagellomere often orange, apically infuscate, rarely entirely brown or black, silvery-gray microtrichose. Chaetotaxy: 1 medial and 1 lateral vertical seta present; 1 ocellar, 1 postocellar, and 2 orbital setae present. Frons usually densely and often long setulose. Gena with long black setae and setulae. Vibrissal angle, postgena and occiput often setulose.

Thorax: Color and vestiture: Scutum mostly brown to black with silvery-gray microtrichia, usually with 1 medial and 2 lateral darker longitudinal stripes with less or no microtrichia, anterior and posterior to transverse suture. Chaetotaxy: All setae and setulae black. One postpronotal and 2 notopleural setae present. Scutellum usually with 2 pairs of setae (3 pairs in O. cretana Kameneva 2012 ).

Legs: Coxae and trochanters often densely gray microtrichose, remaining parts usually slightly gray microtrichose.

Wing: Usually with brown to black pattern consisting of spots or bands. Venation: Vein R1 setulose dorsally, in most species only along pterostigma, in some species along entire length. Vein Cu2 sinuous or curved; cell bcu usually with very short or without posteroapical lobe. Veins R4+5 and M parallel to slightly convergent, cell r4+5 open.

Abdomen: Brown to black, often with sexually dimorphic microtrichose pattern.

Male terminalia: Medial surstylus usually bearing 4–5 (in Nearctic species) to 35–40 prensisetae; lateral surstylus elongate, bearing no prensisetae. Phallus mostly laterally (on both sides) setulose or spinulose and often medially scaled or microspinulose. Glans short, membranous, setulose and/or micro-spinulose or bare.

Female terminalia: Cercal unit usually oval; 3 elongate, wrinkled spermathecae present.

Comment. The two new species differ from other Otites species in the combination of yellowish-hyaline wing without pattern, and short and bare phallus.