Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) ferox Villeneuve, 1908

Whitmore, Daniel, 2009, A review of the Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of Sardinia *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 566-588 : 573-574

Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) ferox Villeneuve, 1908

Sarcophaga ferox Villeneuve, 1908: 123 . Type locality: Santa Cruz (Tenerife), southern France.

Sardinian literature records. Cagliari prov., Costa Rei (Povolný 1997, 2004).

Type material examined. Syntype ♂: S. Cruz / 47394. III // Sammlung / Dr. Th. Becker // Type // Sarc. ferox / type / det. Dr. Villeneuve // Zool. Mus. / Berlin ( ZMHB) .

Material from Sardinia. A06: 10.IX.2006, 1\0. A07: 10.IX.2006, 1\0. A11: 13.IX.2006, hn, 1\0. C03: 23.V.2006, 0\1. C05: 23.V.2006, 2\0. C28: 22.V.2006, 1\0. C31: 20.V.2006, hn, 1\0; 20–23.V. 2006, 2\0; 23.V.2006, hn, 1\0. C32: 6.IX.2006, 3\0. C39: 13.VII.2006, 2\0. C43: 17.VII.2006, 1\0; 7.IX.2006, al, DA MB DB GN, 0\1; C52: 26.IX.2004, 1\1, dRR. C82: 9.VI.2004, hn, 1\0, dRR; 9–10.VI.2004, 1\0; 10.VI.2004, 2\0. C85: 2.IX.2003, 1\0, dRR. G06: 5.IX.2006, 1\0. G08: 5.IX.2006, 6\4. S1: 18.IV–2.V.2006, 0\1; 2– 16.V.2006, 0\2; 16–30.V.2006, 9\4; 30.V–13.VI.2006, 1\0; 13–27.VI.2006, 0\2; 27.VI–11.VII.2006, 0\1; 8– 22.VIII.2006, 1\0; 22.VIII–5.IX.2006, 6\3; 5–19.IX.2006, 1\2. S2: 16–30.V.2006, 4\0; 30.V–13.VI.2006, 1\0; 13–27.VI.2006, 5\0; 25.VII–8.VIII.2006, 1\0; 8–22.VIII.2006, 21\2; 22.VIII–5.IX.2006, 51\20; 5– 19.IX.2006, 13\0; 7.IX.2006, hn, DA MB DB GN, 4\0; 19.IX–3.X.2006, 0\3. S3: 4.IX.2003, hn, PC MT DW, 1\0, dRR; 19.IX–3.X.2006, 1\0. W01: 9–15.IX.1997, 5\1, dRR.

Additional material. Canary Islands. Tenerife, Laguna, 51447. VI, Sammlung Dr. Th. Becker, 1/0 ( ZMHB) [old specimen baring a handwritten identification label by Villeneuve and a label with the word “ Type ”, but not mentioned in the original description]. Italy. Apulia: Lecce prov.: Gagliano del Capo , 6.VI.1941, OC, 1\0 ( MZUR); dint. Leuca, 4.VI.1941, OC, 1\0 ( MZUR). Latium: Latina prov. , Monte Circeo, VI.1948, GS, 1\0 ( MZUR, det. G. Saccà); Rome prov. : Rome, IX.1948, GS, 1\0 ( MZUR); idem, 5.IX.1950, GS, 1\0 ( MZUR); idem, Pietralata, 16.V.1941, GS, 1\0 ( MZUR); idem, Tenuta della Cervelletta , 19.VII.1999, MM, 1\0 ( MZUR, dRR); Tivoli, Colle Vescovo, 448 m, 6.V.2000, MM, 1\0 ( MZUR, dRR); idem, 13.VIII.2001, MM, 1\0 ( MZUR, dRR); idem, 16.VIII.2000, MM, 1\0 ( MZUR, dRR). Sicily: Messina prov. , Taormina , XI.1949, GS, 1\0 ( MZUR); Palermo prov. , Bosco della Ficuzza , Valle Cerasa , 990 m, UTM 33 S 362011 4190550, 28.VI.2005, DW DB PC ML, 1\0. Tuscany: Grosseto prov. , Arcipelago Toscano , Isola del Giglio , 8–15.VII.2000, MM, 1\0 ( MZUR, dRR) .

Chorotype. Mediterranean.

Italian distribution. Apulia; Latium ( Saccà & Rivosecchi 1953); Sardinia (Povolný 1997, 2004); Sicily ( Böttcher 1913b; Saccà & Rivosecchi 1953); Giglio Is. (Tuscany).

Biology. Unknown. Povolný (2004) observed many males feeding on bird excrements on hilltops in Sardinia and Sicily. Traveset and Sáez (1997, as Sarcophaga bolivari Gil Collado, 1932 ) mentioned S. ferox as a possible pollinator of Euphorbia dendroides in Cabrera (Balearic Islands).