Morellia (M.) affixa ( Walker, 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 : 18

3. Morellia (M.) affixa ( Walker, 1856)

( Figs 13–18 )

Musca affixa Walker, 1856: 27 . Type locality: MALAYSIA, Mount Ophir. Holotype ♂, BMNH (van Emden 1965: 113; seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face, parafacial and gena black with silver pruinosity; antenna dark brown with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum black with one silver dusted central vitta; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and other pleura silver pruinose; scutellum silver laterally; legs dark brown; haltere yellow; calypters yellow, the upper one with brownish edge; wing without dark markings; abdomen with weak grey pruinosity but last tergite with silver pruinosity.

Male. Body length: 10.0 mm; wing length: 10.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.18 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few setulae; 12 pairs of frontal setae, the second and the third much shorter than the others; postpedicel about 1.4 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 19–22 cilia, bare apicad, with some secondary plumes as far as level of 6th to 8th cilia; vibrissa as long as arista, 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 4 subvibrissal setae followed by 4 genal setae and other shorter ones.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 3+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4 (the inner weak); notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and long ground-setulae that are closer to the posterior setae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 2 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with 2 long setae (the uppermost longer) and many setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 2, upcurved weak setae on upperanterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose only on subalar ridge; katepimeron bare; anatergite and katatergite bare. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical half, a complete posteroventral row of setae and 4–5 setulae on anterior basal fourth; fore tibia with a dorsal preapical seta; mid femur without a tubercle, with 3–4 anteroventral setulae and 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae; mid tibia with a row of 4 dorsal setae, the median ones stronger, and a posterodorsal row of setae on apical third, 1 dorsal preapical seta and 2 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with a complete anterodorsal row of setae and with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest in apical half, and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5–6 short anteroventral setae on apical half, ending preapically, 1 short seta at middle of anterior surface, one dorsal row of very short and strong setae, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae, 2 posterior setae on basal third and on apical third, both weak, 2–3 posteroventral preapical setulae1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost straight; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 4 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 with setulae on dorsal and ventral surfaces from base to midway to r-m; 3 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. Tergites with lateral tufts of setulae; sternite 1 setulose; sternite 5 with many setae, bare on basal third, posterior margin deeply concave with many setulae ( Fig. 13 ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate and surstyli as in Fig. 14 ; surstylus with few cilia and a seta on apical third ( Fig. 15 ); aedeagal apodeme not enlarged apically; basiphallus short; aedeagus bare; gonopod with a long and strong seta and enlarged basally; paramere with many setae on apical half ( Fig. 16 ).

Female. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 8.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.31 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 3 proclinate setae and 1 reclinate seta; proepimerals weaker; hind tibia without 2–3 posteroventral preapical setulae; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 rod-like; tergite 7 rod-like, with 2 small plates each with 3 small spines; tergite 8 broadly and sinuously rod-like; sternite 6 rod-like, posteriorly with 3 groups of very small spines, sternite 7 rod-like, posteriorly with 3 small plates with spines, sternite 8 as very small plates with 2 small setulae ( Fig. 18 ); epiproct large, with 4 small spines, cercus flattened and not long ( Fig. 17 ).

Material examined. MALAYSIA: Mt Ophir , A.R. Wallace, holotype Ƌ ( BMNH) ; BORNEO: Sarawak, 1909, C.J. Brooks, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. ORIENTAL: Thailand, Malaysia and the island of Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak).

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Morellia (M.) affixa (Walker). 13. Sternite 5, holotype male. 14. Cercal plate and surstyli, holotype male. 15. Left surstylus, male holotype. 16. Phallic complex, lateral view, holotype male. 17. Ovipositor, dorsal view, female from Sarawak, Borneo. 18. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view, female from Sarawak, Borneo.