Morellia (M.) edwardsi van Emden, 1939

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 : 38-41

15. Morellia (M.) edwardsi van Emden, 1939

( Figs 54–59 )

Morellia edwardsi van Emden, 1939: 63 . Type locality: KENYA, Mt. Elgon, heath zone. Holotype Ƌ, BMNH (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face black with grey pruinosity; parafacial and gena with golden pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus black; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals and another one on postpronotal lobe; pleura with grey pruinosity; fore coxa with grey and golden pruinosity; legs brown; haltere with brown stalk and yellow knob; calypters brownish to brown; upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing with one faint spot in costal cell, near humeral cross-vein, another in br cell, and another in bm cell; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern.

Male. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Head. Eyes haired, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.18–0.22 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and many long setulae;18–20 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 1.1–1.5 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 3 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 12–14 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 1st to 3rd cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 8–10 subvibrissal setae followed by 9–10 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 3+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4, the innermost weaker; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 4 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 8 setae, without upcurved setae on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose medially and on subalar ridge; katepimeron with 1 setula; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds, becoming shorter basad, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with 2 anterior setae on middle third, a dorsal row of short setae, a posterodorsal row of short and strong setae, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae; mid femur without a tubercle, with 2–3 anterior setae on middle third, 4–5 ventral setae on basal third, and 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae; mid tibia on anterodorsal surface with a row of fine setae on basal half, the lowermost 2 stronger, 2 strong setae on apical half, 1 posterodorsal seta at middle, a posterior row of five strong setae, 2 ventral setae on apical third, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, 1 ventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with many long anteroventral to ventral setae on apical half, an anterior row of setae with 1 stronger seta at middle, a posterodorsal row of fine setae, the subapical stronger, posteroventral surface with 6 setae, the lowermost longer and ending on ventral surface with a ctenidium, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 anteroventral preapical setae, and 1 ventral apical seta; hind tarsus with strong setae and a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface and ventrally with 2 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to one fourth of distance to r-m on dorsal surface and on base on ventral surface; 4–5 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With lateral tufts of setulae on syntergite 1+2 and lateral and apical long setae on tergites 3 and 5; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with setae ( Fig. 54 ).

Terminalia. Outer middle third of cercal plate convex; surstylus with one seta and some spicules ( Figs 55–56 ); aedeagal apodeme small; basiphallus very long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with one long and strong seta on middle third; paramere with some setae apically and others in middle third ( Fig. 57 ).

Female. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 6.0– 6.5 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: upper third of frontal vitta black with silver pruinosity, lower two-thirds reddish-black with little pruinosity; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.38–0.43 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with many proclinate and reclinate setae; mid tibia without ventral setae; hind tibia with 4 short anteroventral setae on apical half, 1 posteroventral seta on apical third, a weaker ctenidium and no anteroventral preapical seta; hind tarsus with strong setae and without a golden brush ventrally.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 golf-club-like rods, posteriorly with few setulae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with many small spines; tergite 8 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged and posteriorly with 2 plates with many spines; sternite 6 as 1 small rod, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 setae and 1 small plate with setae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 3 plates with many setae; sternite 8 as 1, Y-shaped plate, posteriorly with 2 plates with setae; epiproct with some setae; hypoproct longer than broad with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 58–59 ).

Material examined. KENYA: Mt. Elgon , heath zone, 10,500–11, 500 feet, ii.1935, F.W. Edwards, holotype Ƌ and 1 ♀ paratype ( BMNH) ; Aberdare Range , Nyeri Track, 10,500–11,000 feet, 28.x.1934, F.W. Edwards, 1 ♀ paratype ( BMNH) ; ETHIOPIA: Maraquo , viii.1914, O. Kovács, 1 Ƌ paratype ( BMNH) .

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Ethiopia, Kenya.

Figures

FIGURES 54 – 59. Morellia (M.) edwardsi van Emden. 54. Sternite 5, male. 55. Left surstylus, male. 56. Cercal plate and surstyli, male. 57. Phallic complex, lateral view. 58. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 59. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.