Sarcophaga (Sarcosolomonia) collessi Meiklejohn, Wallman & Pape

Pape, Thomas, 2013, Updates on the taxonomy and nomenclature of Australian Sarcophaga (sensu lato) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 3680 (1), pp. 139-147 : 140-142

Sarcophaga (Sarcosolomonia) collessi Meiklejohn, Wallman & Pape , sp. nov.

( Figures 1, 2 )

“ S. ( Sarcosolomonia ) sp. nov.” of Meiklejohn et al. (2012b).

Type material. Holotype (3): Australia: Queensland, Carnarvon NP. 1097m, Mt. Moffatt, summit, 25o03.6’S 148o02.6’E, 12.x.2002 D.E. Hansen ( ZMUC 00022172). Paratypes: 1 (3): Australia: Queensland, Great Basalt Wall NP., 19°58' S 145°34'E, 15.xii.2006 QM (KM865; ZMUC 00022176) [specimen partly in poor condition: terminalia dissected and stored in a vial with glycerin, abdomen and most legs in alcohol]; 1 (3): Australia: Queensland, Great Basalt Wall NP., 19°58' S 145°34'E, 15.xii.2006 QM (KM768); 1 (3): Australia: Queensland, Charters Towers, 19°41' S 146°26'E, 15.xii.2006 QM (KM831); 1 (Ƥ): Australia: Queensland, Munduberra, 25o30’ S 151o17’ E, 10.i.2010 B.L. Lessard & K.A. Meiklejohn (KM575; ZMUC 00022175) [specimen in poor condition: abdomen, wings and most legs in alcohol]. The holotype and female paratype are deposited in QM, the male paratype ( ZMUC 00022176) is deposited in ZMUC, with other male paratypes deposited in QM. The female specimen of S. collessi was associated with male specimens using molecular data ( Meiklejohn et al. 2012b).

Differential diagnosis. Sarcophaga collessi is exclusively diagnosable within Sarcosolomonia Baranov, 1938 by its very robust and, in lateral view, almost right-angled antero-basal part of the distiphallus, which in combination with the abruptly curved juxta gives the distiphallus a rectangular appearance. Also, the ribbon-like branches of the sclerotised vesica are curled/convoluted, which is unique within the subgenus.

Description. Male. Length. 12.0– 12.2 mm (n=4).

Colour. Ground colour brownish black, with dense light-grey (holotype) or dull yellow (paratype KM865) microtrichosity on palps, parafacials, fronto-orbital plate, occiput, postgena, thorax and abdomen. Arista dark brown. Thorax with three longitudinal brownish-black vittae; microtrichosity of the abdomen forming the typical checkerboard pattern changing with the incidence of light. Cercus brown, but black at apex; surstylus, phallus and gonites brown; epandrium reddish brown.

Head. Arista setose and thickened on approximately basal 0.30. Proclinate orbital setae absent and 10−11 frontal setae present. Lateral vertical setae only slightly longer and stronger than longest postocular setae. Parafacial, at its widest point, about 0.20−0.25 the width of the eye to the width of the head and with black setulae. Sub- and supra-vibrissa with only black setulae, approximately 0.15−0.20 the length of the vibrissa. Facial ridge well defined and gena with black setulae. Occipital setulae yellow below the first few rows of black ones.

Thorax. Scutum with 3−4 presutural (only the posterior strong) and 1 postsutural acrostichal setae; 2−3 presutural and 4 postsutural dorsocentral setae; and 3 intraalar and 3 supraalar setae. Scutellum with a pair of apical setae and 2 pairs of subapical setae. Proepisternum bare. Legs. Hind tibia with long setulae on ventral surface. Wing. Ve i n R 1 without setulae and vein R4+5 with numerous setulae restricted to the base of the dorsal margin.

Abdomen. Tergite 3 with (paratype KM865) or without (holotype) median marginal setae, and with one pair of lateral marginal setae. Tergite 4 with median marginal setae and two pairs of lateral marginal setae. Abdominal sternites 1−2 with black setulae. Terminalia. Sternite 5 with numerous short black setae clustered closely along inner margin. Approximately 4−5 long setae on apex, with some long setulae on both the surface and apex. Protandrial segment with black setulae mostly confined to the posterior margin. Epandrium with black setulae on entire surface. Cercus with a gentle curve anteriorly on apical 0.25 and with a distinct ventral subapical swelling or knob that almost makes the tip look bifid. Distal part with long setulae and proximal part with distinctly shortened setulae. Surstylus triangular, with black setulae confined to the ventral 0.60. Pre- and postgonites both curved anteriorly, with a few black setulae on dorsal surface of the pregonite. Distiphallus: the ventral part of the base (ventral plate) is strongly sclerotised and bulging. It forms an angle of 90o, and extends downwards (or distally) to become membranous along distal margin; juxta, curved anteriorly with a deep median cleft and the distal margin membranous; vesica taking the shape of sclerotised, ribbon-like, curled branches; lateral styli long and narrow, following the juxta to its tip.

Female. NB: only differences with male holotype given.

Length. 10.0 mm (n=1).

Colour. Arista black. Abdominal tergite 6 brown.

Head. Arista setose and thickened on approximately basal 0.20. Proclinate orbital setae and 8 frontal setae present. Parafacial at its widest point, about 0.20 the width of the eye. Facial ridge not well defined and gena with thinly dispersed black setulae.

Thorax. Scutum with 2−3 presutural acrostichal setae and 3−4 intraalar setae. Scutellum without a pair of apical setae.

Abdomen. Terminalia. Abdominal tergite 6 entire, with 12−14 setae along its margin. Abdominal sternite 7 with 7−8 setae along a slightly concave hind margin. Abdominal sternites 2−5 with at least some of the setae reaching the hind margin of the next sternite.

Distribution. AUSTRALASIAN/OCEANIAN—Australia (Queensland).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the esteemed Australian dipterist, the late Donald H. Colless.

Subgeneric affiliation. Lopes (1958a) erected Bezziola to contain a single Micronesian species, Sarcophaga stricklandi Hall and Bohart, 1948 , but when revising a larger set of Australasian material he realised ( Lopes 1967) that this nominal genus would fall as a synonym of Sarcosolomonia with the type species S. tulagiensis Baranov, 1938 . Subsequently, Lopes and Kano (1969) divided Sarcosolomonia into Sarcosolomonia (sensu stricto) and their newly erected Parkerimyia with the type species Sarcophaga crinita Parker, 1917 , and features were provided to support the monophyly of each. Since then, several species have been described under the genus-group name Sarcosolomonia , and usually with little or no further discussion of the circumscription of the taxon (e.g., Shinonaga & Kurahashi 1969; Pape & Bänziger 2003).

The taxon Sarcosolomonia does not have any remarkable autapomorphies but still appears coherent from similarities in the shape of the distiphallus. There is no hinge or similar separation of the juxta, which curves anteriorly as an elongate, tapering and usually mostly membranous structure. Lateral styli are inserted rather close to the hinge between basi- and distiphallus, which means that the juxta occupies more than half the length of the distiphallus. The lateral styli are long, narrow and extend along the curvature of the juxta. The antero-proximal part of the distiphallus (ventral plate) is projecting distally and curving, being membranous at least at the tip.

Sarcophaga collessi would seem to fall within the crinita species-group (subgenus Parkerimyia of Lopes and Kano (1969)) as defined by the male cercus having a ventral swelling or process subapically, giving the impression of an almost bifid tip. This appears to be further supported by the shape of what is here interpreted as the vesica, which in the crinita species-group is divided into two biramous parts (compare with Pape and Bänziger 2003, figure 3).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. 1, 2 Sarcophaga (Sarcosolomonia) collessi sp. nov. 1 — Terminalia, left lateral view, holotype (NB: cercus with tip hidden behind phallus). 2 — Terminalia in glycerin, left lateral view, paratype. 3, 4 Sarcophaga (Sarcorohdendorfia) clavus sp. nov., paratype. 3 — Terminalia, left lateral view. 4 — Distiphallus, posterior view. Abbreviations: c = cercus, d = distiphallus, j = juxta, v = vesica, vp = ventral plate. (Photos: D. K. B. Cheung.)