Morellia (M.) sordidisquama Stein, 1918

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 : 83-85

38. Morellia (M.) sordidisquama Stein, 1918

( Figs 151–156 )

Morellia sordidisquama Stein, 1918: 164 . Type locality: SRI LANKA, Pattipola. Syntypes: 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, HNHM (destroyed 1956; Pont 2013: 109).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, 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, notopleuron and anepisternum silver pruinose; legs brown; haltere yellow; calypters brownish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings; abdomen black, last tergite and ventrally with grey pruinosity.

Male. Body length: 6.5 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.19 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of strong setae and 2–3 setulae; 14– 16 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 1.9–2.9 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and a few setulae; arista plumose, with 22–25 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 8th to 10th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 10 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 2+4; 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 groundsetulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal, 1 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 about 3–5 long setae and few setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 8 setae, with 4 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron with 1–2 setulae; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad and apicad, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of setae, many setulae on ventral surface, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium and some long setae on basal segment; mid femur without a tubercle, with 1 anterior seta on middle third, 4 strong posterodorsal to dorsal setae and 2 fine setae at apex, 4–5 strong posteroventral setae on apical half, and 3 ventral setae on basal third; mid tibia with 4 strong posterior setae on basal two-thirds, 3 strong and short posterodorsal setae on apical half, many short ventral setulae, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with 3–5 anteroventral setae on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae, 2 posterodorsal preapical setae, and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 2 anteroventral setae on apical third, an anterodorsal row of short setae on basal two-thirds, the 3 apical ones stronger, a dorsal row of very short and strong setulae, 1 weak posteroventral seta on middle third and 3 setae on apical third, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral, 1 ventral and no posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like golden ctenidium; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 5–7 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; 3 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2 and on tergites 3–4; tergite 4 with setae apically; tergite 5 with setae on disc and apically; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with many setae on membrane ( Fig. 151 ).

Terminalia. Outer margin of cercal plate convex; cercal plate ventrally with 1 spine ( Figs 152–153 ); surstylus with many setae and a few setae; aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; aedeagus with spicules on anterior membrane of distiphallus; gonopod with one long and strong seta on basal half; paramere with 2 setae on middle third ( Fig. 154 ).

Female. Body length: 6.5 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.34–0.38 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 1 proclinate seta, 4 proclinate setulae and 2 reclinate setulae; mid femur without a tubercle, with 4 setae but without the 2 fine setae, and with 3–5 weak ventral setae; hind tibia without posteroventral setae on apical third.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 rods, posteriorly with some small setulae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines; tergite 8 as 2 rods; sternite 6 as 1 rod, posteriorly with a few very small setulae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 3 round plates with spines; sternite 8 as 2 plates with small setae; enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 6–7 and 7–8; epiproct large with about 5 very small setulae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus flattened and not long ( Figs 155–156 ).

Material examined. SRI LANKA: Hakgala, 1800–1900 m, 31.v.1953, F. Keiser, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) ; Nuwara , 1900 m, 1.vi.1953, F. Keiser, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. ORIENTAL: India, Sri Lanka, China,? Taiwan.

Figures

FIGURES 151 – 156. Morellia (M.) sordidisquama Stein. 151. Sternite 5, male from Hakgala, Sri Lanka. 152. Cercal plate, male from Hakgala, Sri Lanka. 153. Left surstylus, male from Hakgala, Sri Lanka. 154. Phallic complex, lateral view, male from Hakgala, Sri Lanka. 155. Ovipositor in dorsal view. 156. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.