Morellia (M.) nilotica ( Loew, 1856 )

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 : 62-65

27. Morellia (M.) nilotica ( Loew, 1856)

( Figs 102–108 )

Cyrtoneura nilotica Loew, 1856: 4 and 48. Type locality: EGYPT, Asyût. Syntypes: 1 Ƌ, ZMHB (seen), but none in NHMW ( Pont & Werner 2006: 72).

Morellia minor Malloch, 1928a: 474 . Type locality: ZANZIBAR, near Mazi Moja. Holotype ♂, BMNH (van Emden 1939: 63; seen).

Morellia femorata Curran, 1928: 354 . Type locality: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, Stanleyville (25o10'E, 1o N, see Curran 1928: 328). Holotype Ƌ, AMNH ( Arnaud & Owen 1981: 175).

Morellia syriaca Séguy, 1935a: 114 . Type locality: LEBANON, Beirut district. Syntypes: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, MNHN ( Hennig 1964: 971; Peris 1967: 38; seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity; gena with grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals; postpronotal lobe and notopleuron silver pruinose; other pleura silver pruinose; legs brown; haltere and calypters whitish, upper calypter on outer half white; wing without dark markings; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern and with silver pruinosity ventrally.

Male. Body length: 4.0 mm; wing length: 4.0– 4.5 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.11–0.13 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and a few setulae; 14–15 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 1.7–2.1 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 11–12 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 1st to 3rd cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half the length of vibrissa, and a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 5–8 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, half the length of first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with short groundsetulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with a few setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3–4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 8 setae, with 3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron with 2 setulae; anatergite bare; katatergite bare. Legs: fore femur with complete posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with a posterodorsal row of short and strong setae, 3 long and weak ventral setae on apical half, 1 dorsal, 1 anterodorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, 1 ventral apical seta, anterior surface with a ctenidium of golden setulae and with a brush-like ctenidium on ventral surface; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 5 short spines that continue as about 3 posterodorsal to posterior setae and 4 short anterodorsal setae, all arranged in a U-shape, only short setulae ventrally, and an anterodorsal row of setae on basal half; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of strong setae on basal half and fine setae on apical half, with 4 short and strong posterior setae on apical two-thirds, a posteroventral row of 4–5 strong setae on basal half, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae and 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, an anterodorsal row of setae, and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 3 short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of short setae with 3 longer ones on middle third, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a posterodorsal row of setae of which 1 on apical third is long, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 1 ventral and no posteroventral apical setae; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 2–4 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 midway to r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 5–6 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 4 and 5 with setae apically and few setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with some setae ( Fig. 102 ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate convex laterally; cercal plate ventrally with spines; surstylus with some setae on apical third ( Figs 103–105 ); aedeagal apodeme broadened apically; basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 3 long and strong setae on basal half; paramere with some small setulae apically ( Fig. 106 ).

Female. Body length: 5.0 mm; wing length: 4.0–5.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.29–0.31 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 3 proclinate setulae and no reclinate setulae; fore tibia without 3 long and weak setae on ventral surface; mid femur without a tubercle and only with 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 golf-club-shaped rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with 3 setae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setae; tergite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 narrow plates with strong setae; sternites 6 and 7 as 1 plate with setae; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setae; epiproct small with 4 setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical ( Figs 107–108 ).

Material examined. ZANZIBAR, near Mazi Moja, H.J. Snell, holotype Ƌ of Morellia minor Malloch ( BMNH) ; MALAWI: Blantyre, v.1910, J.E.S. Old, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, BMNH ; LEBANON: Beirut environs, 1919, Landrieu , 1 Ƌ and 1 ♀ syntypes of Morellia syriaca Séguy ( MNHN) ; EGYPT, Asyût, 1 Ƌ syntype of Cyrtoneura nilotica Loew ( ZMHB) ; ISRAEL: Jericho Plain , 15.iv.1918, E. E. Austen, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) ; El Athroun , 12–16 miles west of Jerusalem, xii.1917, E. E. Austen, 1 Ƌ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria. AFROTROPICAL: widespread throughout the region, and also on the islands of Zanzibar, Fernando Po, Madagascar and Sao Tomé.

Figures

FIGURES 102 – 108. Morellia (M.) nilotica (Loew). 102. Sternite 5, male. 103. Cercal plate, male. 104. Cercal plate, male, ventral view. 105. Left surstylus, male. 106. Phallic complex, lateral view. 107. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 108. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.