Pollenia paragrunini Rognes, 1988

Rognes, Knut, 2019, The Calliphoridae (Diptera) of Armenia, Zootaxa 4576 (2), pp. 375-391 : 385

Pollenia paragrunini Rognes, 1988

( Figs 18–33 )

Most recent taxonomic treatment. Rognes (1988).

Material. Aragatsotn: Mt Aragats, N 40°29 E44° 11, 3240–3350 m, 21.vii.2015, 1 ♂ [2606 (dissected)], 1 ♀ [2607]; 3190–3350 m, 29.vii.2015, 1 ♀ [2608]; 3520–3580 m, 13.viii.2017, 1 ♀ [2613]; 3270–3310 m, 16.viii.2017, 1 ♂ [2609 (dissected)], 3 ♀ [2610, 2611, 2612].

Previous Armenian records. Aragatsotn or Kotayk: Hankavan (as “okr. Ankavana ” on label), 13.vii.1965, 1 ♂ (V. Richter leg.) (paratype) ( Rognes 1988) .

Remarks on taxonomy. Head. In the males the frons at narrowest point/head width ratio is variable, ranging between 0.031 and 0.100 (n = 5) ( Figs 24–26 ). Individual measurements are: 0.031–0.039 (mean 0.034, n = 3) (holotype and 2 paratypes; Rognes 1988) ( Fig. 24 ), 0.063 [2609] ( Fig. 25 ) and 0.100 [2606] ( Fig. 26 ). Legs. Fore tibia with 1 posteroventral seta ( Fig. 22 ). Mid tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae, the lower one largest, 2 posterodorsal setae and 2–3 posterior setae. Mid tibia without a ventral seta in males of the Mt Aragats material, but such a seta is present in the females and in the all-male type material (holotype and 2 paratypes). Hind tibia with 5–7 anterodorsal, 6–7 posterodorsal and 1–4 anteroventral setae. All male tarsi shorter than tibiae ( Fig. 23 ). Hind tibia with a long preapical dorsal seta, as long as basal tarsomere of hind tarsus ( Fig. 23 ). Hind tibia without erect “ rudis -type” ( Rognes 1987) anteroventral and ventral ground setulae. Abdomen. In males, the dorsal side of the abdomen has semierect gound vestiture ( Fig. 18 ) and the ventral side has ground vestiture that is not erect, not densely set or finer than the one dorsally, but slightly longer. Dorsal microtrichosity is present, but not always as even as shown in Fig. 20 . Usually there is a shifting pattern, often divided at the midline, one half being dark, the other whitish, according to the angle of view. ST1–5 are shown in Figs 21 and 33 . ST2–4 are all shorter than wide, becoming shorter and wider towards ST4, which is very short. Male terminalia. These are shown in Figs 27–32 . Both males from the Mt Aragats material have terminalia as shown in the figures and are obviously conspecific, in spite of the different frons width. The photographs of the cerci and surstyli ( Figs 27–28 ) conform to the black and white ink drawings of the holotype shown in Rognes (1988: figs 25–26). The cerci and surstyli of the holotype have been re-examined and also correspond perfectly with the photographs. The different distance from the tip of the cerci to the tip of the surstyli [compare fig. 25 in Rognes (1988) with Fig. 27 ] is most likely due to a different angle of observation, and is not a species-specific trait. The central sclerotisation of the hypophallic lobes ( Figs 29, 31 ) is rather broad, and similar to the one shown for the holotype in Rognes (1988: fig. 27). Neither of the two Mt Aragats males have the paraphallic processes ( Fig. 30 ) converging to the same extent as shown in the drawing of the holotype ( Rognes 1988: fig. 28). Re-examination of the distiphallus of the holotype (in glycerol for about 30 years) revealed that the paraphallic processes converge to about the same degree as seen in the Mt Aragats material ( Fig. 30 ), suggesting that the original manual drawing is somewhat artefactual. The tip of the paraphallic processes is armed in the holotype and appears obliquely truncated ( Rognes 1988: figs 28–29). I have not been able to examine these details in the Mt Aragats material.

Concluding remarks. I have never met with such a large intraspecific variability of the male frons in any species of Pollenia as the one shown by Pollenia paragrunini . It may have something to do with the high altitude at which these flies live. I have considered the possibility that the Mt Aragats material might represent a Pollenia species other than paragrunini , but could not find any convincing arguments in the external morphology—apart from the broader frons and the lack of a ventral mid tibial seta in the males—or in the male terminalia. I therefore consider the Armenian material from Mt Aragats as belonging to the taxon P. paragrunini .

Distribution. Azerbaijan (holotype and 1 paratype: Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic: 8 km S Betschenagsku Pass), Armenia (1 paratype and additional records in this paper).

Note. There is an error in Rognes (1988) as regards the type locality. The locality “… ‘ 8 km S Bigenak perevala’ [Bichenakskiy Pass]” was assigned erroneously to Armenia, but the label of the holotype and one paratype places it in “Haxичeвaнcк. [= Nakhichevansk.]” in Azerbaijan ( Fig. 24 ).

Figures

FIGURES 18–23. Pollenia paragrunini Rognes, 1988, ♂ from Mt Aragats, 3240–3350 m, 21.vii.2015, specimen ID KR0000002606 (NHMUK). 18. Habitus, left lateral view, before dissection. 19. Head, anterior view. 20. Detached abdomen, dorsal view. 21. Detached abdomen, ventral view. 22. Left fore tibia, dorsolateral view; arrow points to posteroventral seta. 23. Left and right hind tibiae, external and internal view.

FIGURES 24–26. Pollenia paragrunini Rognes, 1988, ♂ heads, dorsal view, with corresponding labels. 24. Paratype (ZIN). 25. Male from Mt Aragats, 3270–3310 m, 16.viii.2017, specimen ID KR0000002609 (NHMUK). 26. Male from Mt Aragats, 3240–3350 m, 21.vii.2015, specimen ID KR0000002606 (NHMUK).

FIGURES 27–33. Pollenia paragrunini Rognes, 1988, ♂ from Mt Aragats, 3240–3350 m, 21.vii.2015, specimen ID KR0000002606 (NHMUK). 27. Epandrium, cerci and surstyli, posterior view. 28. Epandrium, cerci and surstyli, left lateral view. 29. Phallus, left lateral view. 30. Phallus, dorsal view. 31. Distal half of distiphallus, left dorsolateral view. 32. Pre- and postgonites. 33. ST1–5. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (Figs 27–28); 0.25 mm (Figs 29–32); 1 mm (Fig. 33).