Calliphora peruviana Macquart, 1851: 216

Rognes, Terry Whitworth With An Appendix By Knut & Whitworth, Terry, 2012, Identification of Neotropical blow flies of the genus Calliphora Robineau- Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 3209, pp. 1-27 : 26

Calliphora peruviana Macquart, 1851: 216

This nominal species was obviously presented as a new species, and not just a record or citation of Robineau-Desvoidy’s species with the same name from 1830, since the entry reads: “ Calliphora peruviana Nob. ”. “Nob” is short for “nobis”, dative plural of “nos” (= “us”), and thus means “to us”, i.e., “our [thus Macquart’s] species”. Macquart gave a short description, including “… Thorax à ... reflets verts, ainsi qu’à l’abdomen ... Cuillerons bruns ... Ailes assez claire ... [...Thorax with green reflections, like the abdomen, ... calypters brown ... wings rather clear]”, stated that the specimen was a female and cited other data as follows: “ Pérou. Payta. M. Eydoux. Muséum.”. The last word indicates that the specimen was housed in the Paris Museum.

In MNHN there is a female specimen with dark calypteres which is labelled: (1) “ Calliphora / peruviana / Ƥ Macq. n. sp.” [in Macquart’s hand]; (2) “Phryssopoda / splendens / Macq” [in Seguy’s hand]; (3) “ HOLOTYPE / Calliphora peruviana Macquart / det. J.P.Dear 1977” [Dear’s red handwriting, except last line which is printed in black]; (4) “120/58” [old handwritten ink label]; (5) “ Holotype ” [printed on red-rimmed white circular label].

One of us (TW) received from MNHN three digital color images of the holotype including an image of all its labels. To judge from the strong vitta of white pollinosity on each side of the presutural part of the thorax, widening out in front (where there is a very narrow dark line medially within the confines of the vitta) when seen from behind; the clear wing base; the bend of vein M forming a pronounced angle less than a right angle; dark calypteres with a narrow white rim; and the concave T 5 in profile view, it is a female Neta chilensis (Walker) , although the hind femur is less swollen than usual. This identity of the type is in accordance with current understanding (Shannon 1926: 123, as Neta splendens ; Hall 1948: 301; James 1970: 13 (entry listed as “ peruviana Robineau-Desvoidy of Macquart, 1851: 216 ... ( Calliphora )”); and Dear 1979: 150). Both Shannon and Dear had examined the type. The name Calliphora peruviana Macquart (1851: 216) is a junior primary homonym of Calliphora peruviana Robineau-Desvoidy (1830: 438) and thus permanently invalid. This fact was observed by Townsend (1892: 36) who proposed the replacement name Calliphora paytensis for the preoccupied name Calliphora peruviana Macquart. Thus Townsend’s name also falls into the synonymy of Neta chilensis (Walker) listed by Shannon (1926) and James (1970).

In Systema Dipterorum (Pape & Thompson 2010) the type of Calliphora peruviana Macquart (1851: 216) is listed correctly as being present in MNHN, and its valid name cited correctly as Neta chilensis (Warning Work Record, record #38 341). Calliphora paytensis Townsend, 1892 is not listed at all in Systema Dipterorum.