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.