Helina nigrimana ( Macquart, 1851 )

Patitucci, Luciano Damián, Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo & Mariluis, Juan Carlos, 2016, Taxonomic review of the species of Helina R. - D. (Diptera: Muscidae) from Andean-Patagonian forests, Zootaxa 4150 (3), pp. 281-313 : 301-304

Helina nigrimana ( Macquart, 1851)

( Figs. 11 , 15 B)

Helina nigrimana basilaris Carvalho & Pont, in Carvalho et al. 1993 . New synonymy. Helina nigrimana grisea ( Malloch, 1934) . New synonymy.

For a complete list of references, see the catalog by Carvalho et al. (2005).

Information subsequent to this catalog: Löwerberg-Neto et al. 2011 (biogeography); Pont 2012 (type specimen, explanation of the type-locality); Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2013 (checklist, new records).

Redescription. Male ( Fig 11 A). Length. Body: 6.64–8.76 mm, wing: 5.69–7.90 mm.

Head ( Fig. 11 B). Black with silver pollinosity. Holoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.09–0.15 mm. 6–8 pairs of frontal setae. Eye hairs long and sparse. Lunule pale brown; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, gena, postgena, and occiput black with grey pollinosity. Parafrontal plate bare. Postocular setae proclinated. Antenna black; arista pubescent, with its longest hairs hardly longer than its basal diameter. Palpus black.

Thorax ( Fig. 11 C). Scutum black with two white pollinose vitta; scutellum black with brown pollinosity, lateral margin with yellow pollinosity; anepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron, katepisternum, proepisternum, proepimeron and meron black; anterior and posterior spiracles black. Chaetotaxy: acrostichal setae 1-2+1; dorsocentral setae 2+4; humeral setae 2–3; notopleural setae 2, posterior seta smaller. Prealar seta half as long as and thinner than the anterior supra-alar postsutural seta. Scutellum with thin and long basal and subapical setae. Anepisternum with a series of 8–10 strong setae.

Wing. Hyaline, infuscate; costal spine little longer than the costal bristles; the transverse cross-vein dm-cu strongly curved; vein R 4+5 and vein M diverge apically; cross vein dm-cu in basal half of cell r4+5. Both calypters hyaline with yellow margins.

Legs. Coxa and trochanter black; fore femur black, fore tibia dark brown (some specimens yellow apically), mid and hind femora yellow (some specimens dark brown at base), mid and hind tibia yellow, brown at base; tarsi black. Fore femur with long and fine setula on dorsal, posterodorsal, and posteroventral surface; fore with 1–2 posterior setae, 4 preapical setae. Mid femur an anterodorsal row of setae, and with long and fine setula on ventral surface, and 3 preapical setae on posterodorsal to posterior surface; mid tibia with 4 posterior setae, and 4 apical setae (anterodorsal, posteroventral, ventral, and anteroventral). Hind femur with a strong anterodorsal row, anteroventral row, and with long and fine posteroventral row of setae at the basal middle, hind tibia with 5–6 anteroventral setae, 2–3 anterodorsal setae and 6–7 posterodorsal setae, calcar absent. Claws and pulvilli similar size in all three legs.

Abdomen ( Figs. 11 D, F–G). Black with golden-brown pollinosity (some specimens with grey-brown pollinosity), a central line without pollinosity. Sternite 5 with similar length and width, setulose with strong setae on lateral margin; posterior margin with two processes ( Fig. 11 E).

Terminalia . Cercal plate with a similar length and width, with two incision (distal and proximal); with four protuberances at apex: inner protuberance long and curving distally, outer protuberance short and wide, curving forward of the inner protuberance in laterl view ( Fig. 11 H). Surstylus broad basally, distal part curved strongly forwards, on inner surface with setae in a button-shaped structure ( Figs. 11 H–I). Aedeagus with aedeagal apodeme straight and strongly sclerotized, epiphalus slightly sclerotized, paramere slightly bent downward with setula; gonopod with short setulae; and distiphallus tubular and curved, slightly sclerotized ( Fig. 11 J).

Female. Length. Body: 5.60–6.75 mm, wing: 5.23–6.43 mm.

Differs from male as follows: Head: dichoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.68–0.86 mm; frontoorbital plate setulose with 2 reclinate orbital setae. Eye with short hairs. Parafrontal plate setulose. Postocular setae divergent. Thorax. Scutum and scutellum black with golden-brown pollinosity. Prealar strong, one-third the length of the supra-alar postsutural seta. Legs. Hind femur without long and fine posteroventral row of setae at the basal middle, tibia with 2–3 anteroventral setae, 2 anterior setae, posterior surface bare.

Terminalia . Tergite 8 with 2 parallel sclerotized plates, fused and with setulae on distal margin; epiproct with proximal margin straight, and setulose, cercus digitiform and setulose ( Fig. 11 K). Hypoproct rounded, sclerotized, setulose with a row of long setula on distal margin ( Fig. 11 L).

Type material examined. ( MNRJ). Helina nigrimana nigrimana : Paratype 1 male, pinned, “ Porto blest / XII.2.26” handwritten on white paper; “ Rio Negro / Arg Nov 1926 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49857 [handwritten] / U.S. N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ ♂ ” handwritten on white paper; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 2664 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame [leg glued] . Paratype 1 male, pinned, “ Correntoso / Rio Negro / Arg Nov 1926 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49859 [handwritten] / U.S. N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ ♂ ” handwritten on white paper; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 2666 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame . Paratype 1 male, pinned, “ Los Loros / Santiago / Chile Jan 1927 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49849 [handwritten] / U.S.N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ ♂ ” handwritten on white paper; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 1432 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame . Paratype 1 female, pinned, “ Bariloche / Rio Negro / Arg Nov 1926 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49857 [handwritten] / U.S. N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ ♀ ” handwritten on white paper; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 2665 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame. Helina nigrimana basalis : Paratype 1 male, pinned, “ Los Loros / Santiago / Chile Jan 1927 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49849 [handwritten] / U.S.N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ Helina / bifimbriata / var. basalis ” handwritten on white paper, black frame; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 2663 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame . Paratype 1 male, pinned, “ Los Loros / Santiago / Chile Jan 1927 / R & E Shannon ” printed on white paper; “ Paratype No [printed] / 49849 [handwritten] / U.S.N.M. [printed]” on red paper; “ ♂ ” handwritten on white paper; “M.N.R.J [printed] / 2663 [handwritten]” on white paper, black frame.

Other material examined. ARGENTINA: Chubut: 1 female, PN Lago Puelo, Los Hitos, -42.097993, - 71.684775, I-2011, Patitucci leg. ( MACN) , 3 females, 2 males, PN Los Alerces, Arroyo Torcido, -42.761269, - 71.751391, X-2014, Mulieri, Patitucci & Torretta leg. (MACN); 3 females, 1 male, PN Los Alerces, Lago Futalaufquen, -42.840982, -71.632934, X-1993, Mariluis leg. (MACN); 1 female, 9 males, PN Los Alerces, Lago Verde, -42.717506, -71.725197, X-2014, Compagnucci, Mulieri, Patitucci & Torretta leg. (MACN); 4 females, 10 males, PN Los Alerces, Puerto Mermoud, -42.723187, -71.748741, X-2014, Mulieri, Patitucci & Torretta leg. (MACN); Neuquén: 21 females , 25 males, 8 km northwest of San Martin de los Andes, X-1985 & IX/ X-1986, Gentili leg. ( IFML) , 34 females, 5 males, Cerro Chapelco, -40.197050, -71.298453, XII-1982 & I/ III-1983, Gentilli leg. (IFML), 6 females, 11 males, PN Lanín, Lago Curruhué, Arroyo Los Pinos, -39.877162, -71.453122, 14-XII- 2013, Olea, Mulieri & Patitucci leg. (MACN), 1 male, San Martín de los Andes, -40.162242, -71.356484, I-1941, Bridarolli leg. ( MACN) , 1 female, 4 males, PN Nahuel Huapí, Paso Puyehue, -40.699856, -71.933292, 14-XII- 2001, Medan, Montalto & Devoto leg. (FAUBA); Río Negro: 1 female, PN Nahuel Huapí, Puerto Blest, - 41.024771, -71.813855, XI-1989, Mariluis leg. ( MACN) ; Santa Cruz: 1 male, PN Los Glaciares, Glaciar Perito Moreno, -50.472017, -73.033116, XII-1994, Mariluis leg. ( MACN) ; 4 females, 1 male, PN Los Glaciares, Península Magallanes, Río Mitre , -50.418967, -72.742651, X-1994, Mariluis leg. ( MACN) ; Tierra del Fuego: 1 male, PN Ushuaia, -54.834897, -68.446657, 2-XI-1983, Gentili leg. ( IFML) .

Distribution ( Fig. 15 B). ARGENTINA: Chubut (new record), Neuquén, Río Negro, Santa Cruz (new record), Tierra del Fuego (new record). CHILE: Región de los Lagos, Región Metropolitana.

Remarks. Macquart (1851) described Aricia nigrimanus with a single male specimen, wrongly assigning “Océanie. Triton-bay” as type locality. Malloch (1934) described Helina bifimbriata with male and female specimens from several locations of Argentina and Chile. This author observed color differences in some male specimens and proposed two variations (subspecies): H. bifimbriata var. basalis and H. bifimbriata var. grisea . Pont (1967) studied the holotype of A. nigrimanus , established a synonym with H. bifimbriata , and suggested that the type locality of A. nigrimanus is probably Chile. More recently, Carvalho & Pont in Carvalho et al. (1993) established a junior secondary homonomy to H. nigrimana basalis Zetterstedt , and proposed H. nigrimana basilaris . In our samplings, we collected 6 females and 11 males, including the three subspecies and other male specimens with the combination of characters (coloration of abdomen and legs) of the subspecies, in Lago Curruhué, PNL, Neuquén, Argentina. We observed that the variation in the coloration of the males is not correlated with differences in terminalia structures, which are similar in all specimens. Based on these observations, we concluded that these are the same biological entity.

Biology. Specimens collected by the authors from PNLP and PNL were captured with a baited trap and a hand net over vegetation.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Helina nigrimana (Macquart). A – J. Male: A. Fronto-lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm). B. Head, frontal view. C. Thorax, dorsal view. D. Abdomen, dorsal view (scale bars: 0.5 mm). E. Sternite 5 (scale bar: 0.2 mm). F. Thorax, dorsal view (belongs to the color variation observed in H. nigrimana basalis). G. Thorax, dorsal view (belongs to the color variation observed in H. nigrimana grisea) (scale bars: 0.5 mm). H. Cercal plate and surstyli, posterior view. I. Cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). J. Phallic complex, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). K – L. Female, apical portion of ovipositor: K. Dorsal view. L. Ventral view (scalebar: 0.5 mm). (Abbreviations: aed apod, aedeagal apodeme; distiph, distiphallus; epiph, epiphallus; epiprct, epiproct; gon, gonopodo; hyprct, hypoproct; i protub, inner protuberance; o protub, outer protuberance; par, paramere; st 8, sternite 8; tg 8, tergite 8.)

FIGURE 15. Geographical distribution. A. Helina neosimplex Snyder. B. Helina nigrimana (Macquart). C. Helina ouina sp. nov. D. Helina rufoapicata Malloch. E. Helina viola Malloch. G. Helina xena Malloch. (Green area: Andean-Patagonian forests; orange circle: new records; blue triangle: previous distribution.)