Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta ( Lopes, 1938 )

Barbosa, Taciano M., Mello-Patiu, Cátia A. & Vasconcelos, Simão D., 2021, Revision of the New World subgenus Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with a reassessment of diagnostic characters, Journal of Natural History 55 (5 - 6), pp. 305-340 : 329-332

Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta ( Lopes, 1938) ( Figures 5 , 7 (a,d), 8(a–b), 9(d–f))

Sarcophaga despecta Lopes 1935a: 42 . Type locality: Rio de Janeiro, Angra dos Reis. [Junior primary homonym of Sarcophaga despecta Thomson, 1869 ]. despecte; Lopes 1935:43 [incorrect original spelling of despecta ]. Sarcophaga luculenta ; Lopes 1938: 209 [new replacement name for Sarcophaga despecta ]. lutulenta; Lopes 1969: 59 [incorrect subsequent spelling of luculenta ]. Cucullomyia luculenta ; Lopes 1976b: 754 (key, redescription). Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta ; Pape 1996: 432 (catalogue, new combination); Pape et al. 2004 (species list); Méndez et al. 2008: 256 (citation); Kutty et al. 2010: 620 (molecular phylogeny); Sousa et al. 2011: 22 (species list); Sousa et al. 2015: 6 (list, distribution, forensic); Mello-Patiu 2016: 895 (catalogue); Buenaventura and Pape 2015: 317 (phylogeny of Peckia ); Buenaventura et al. 2017: 113 (molecular phylogeny); Buenaventura and Pape 2018: 844 (morphological phylogeny).

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂: BRAZIL, Angra dos Reis, Japuíba , vi.1931, L. Travassos leg. ( MNRJ) [lost].

Additional examined material. BRAZIL − 3 ♂: Espírito Santo, vii .1972, P .C . Elias leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Mato Grosso, Salobra , i .1941, [Expedition] Inst . Oswaldo Cruz leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 2 ♂: Amapá, Serra do Navio , ix .1957, J . Lane leg . ( MNRJ) [lost].

Diagnosis. Scutellum with a lateral patch of black hair-like setulae; mid femur without ctenidium; distiphallus apically tapered; vesica with a short proximal membranous portion and sclerotised distal portion showing distal half enlarged in ventral view, with several pointed projections ( Figure 5 (d,e)); juxta closely connected to the phallic tube as two pointed projections ( Figure 5 (d,e)); median stylus conspicuously elongated with a spinose apex ( Figure 5 (e)); elongated lateral styli, shorter than the median stylus, with spines beyond the distal half ( Figure 5 (e)).

Redescription. MALE (n = 4). Body length = 10.0–18.0 mm.

Head. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with golden pruinosity; fronto-orbital plate with sparse setulae ( Figure 7 (a)); parafacial plate with row of setulae close to eye and measuring about 0.46 of distance between the vibrissae ( Figure 7 (a)); frons about 0.29 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta entirely blackish; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 slightly divergent, 9–10 well-developed frontal setae reaching level of base of pedicel, the superior one shorter than the others ( Figure 7 (a)); reclinate orbital seta present, proclinate orbital setae absent; outer vertical setae 0.5x inner vertical setae and divergent; ocellar setae as developed as upper frontals; ocellar triangle dark brown; postocellar and paravertical setae present; postocular area with golden pruinosity; gena with golden pruinosity in upper portion and greyish pruinosity in the bottom, black setae in anterior part and whitish setae close to occiput; postgena with silvery grey pruinosity and numerous whitish setae; face with silvery pruinosity; facial ridge black with silvery pruinosity, with short setulae in lower half; antenna dark brown, total length 0.84 of distance from insertion to vibrissal level, first flagellomere brown with grey pruinosity and approximately 2.5x longer than pedicel; arista long plumose on basal 2/ 3; palpus blackish.

Thorax. Black with silvery-grey pruinosity, postpronotum and notopleuron with slightly yellowish grey pruinosity; chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0 + 1, dorsocentrals pre-sutural poorly differentiated + 4 (the anteriormost poorly differentiate and posterior ones well developed), intra-alars 1 + 2, supra-alars 2 + 3, postpronotals 2, notopleurals 4; katepisternals 3, almost in a straight line; postalar wall setulose; postalar callus with 2 setae; scutellum with a patch of black hair-like setulae on lateral margin, reaching ventral part ( Figure 7 (d)), pairs of basal, lateral and subapical setae (lateral pair shorter), preapical discal setae absent, and a pair of apical setae; meral setae 10–11; proepisternum bare; prosternum setulose. Wing. Hyaline, with dark brown veins; tegula dark brown; basicosta yellowish; vein R1 bare; vein R4+5 with setulae dorsally on 1/2 of distance to crossvein r-m; cell r4+5 open at wing margin; third costal sector bare ventrally. Legs. Blackish-brown with silvery pruinosity, pulvilli yellowish-brown; femurs and tibia with long pilosity on the ventral face; mid femur with a row of 4 median anterior setae, a row of anteroventral setae, 2 preapical posterior setae, and 2 median setae, small apical setae but no ctenidium in posteroventral surface; mid tibia with 1 median anterior seta, 1 basal and 1 median posterior setae, and 1 median posterodorsal seta; hind femur with a row of anterodorsal setae, a row of anterior setae in the proximal half, 1 apical dorsal and 1 apical posterodorsal seta, and rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae; hind tibia with 1 median anterior seta, 1 basal, 1 median and 1 apical seta in the same position on the anterodorsal and posterodorsal surfaces, and a median anterodorsal seta; hind coxa and trochanter with normal setae.

Abdomen. Dark brown with spots of golden pruinosity on lateral and dorsal surfaces; T4 − T5 reddish brown with yellowish pruinosity; T1 + 2− T4 with lateral marginal setae; T3 − T5 with a set of long setae with wavy apex on ventral surface, more numerous on T5; T4 with a pair of median marginal setae; T5 with a complete row of marginals (ca. 12 − 14); ST2 − 3 rectangular with long setae in the distal half, ST4 with an patch of spiniforme setae in posterior margin (Fig. 39 in Lopes 1976b); ST5 deeply cleft with short base, slightly broad arms with longer setae and several spiniform setae along the swollen internal margin ( Figure 5 (a)).

Terminalia . Reddish brown ( Figure 8 (a,b)); syntergosternite 7 + 8 with golden pruinosity, 3 − 4 pair of small marginal setae and sparse dorsal setulae; epandrium with golden pruinosity and sparse setulae; surstylus short, boomerang-like surstylus, with anterior margin projected forward, and anterior and apical setae ( Figure 5 (b)); cercus brown with blackish apex, apical half slightly turned back, cercal prongs narrow and parallel in posterior view, with distal end slightly enlarged and rounded in profile ( Figure 5 (b)); pregonite with broad base and narrow and spatulate apex, with a small preapical projection in anterior margin ( Figure 5 (c)); postgonite as long as the pregonite, with a long median setae and small setulae ( Figure 5 (c)); basiphallus narrow, about 3x paraphallus length, distiphallus apically tapered, paraphallus with 2 dorsal keels ( Figure 5 (c)); vesica with a short proximal membranous portion and sclerotised distal portion showing distal half enlarged in ventral view, with several pointed projections ( Figures 5 (d,e), 9(d)); juxta closely connected to the phallic tube as two pointed projections ( Figures 5 (d,e), 9(e,f)); median stylus conspicuously elongated with a spinose apex ( Figures 5 (e), 9(e)); elongated lateral styli, shorter than the median stylus, with spines beyond the distal half ( Figures 5 (e), 9(f)).

Female. Redescribed and illustrated in Lopes (1976b).

Distribution (Neotropical). Brazil (Amapá, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, Goiás, Espírito Santo, Ceará and Maranhão); Colombia.

Comments. Titanogrypa (C.) luculenta closely resembles T. (C.) ecuatoriana as both have lateral patches of black setulae on the scutellum, a boomerang-like surstylus and pregonite with apex narrower than base ( Figures 5 (b,c), 8(b–d)). This species differs from other congenerics mainly by having mid femur without ctenidium, ST5 with broader arms ( Figure 5 (a)) and by the unique shape of the distal projection of the vesica ( Figure 5 (d,e)). The most differentiated pattern of the terminalia of this species in relation to other Cucullomyia species had been documented previously by Lopes (1976b), who reported it as an ‘aberrant species’ when reviewing the morphological characteristics of adults and larvae of Cucullomyia . However, the present revision confirms that this species shares the main diagnostic characteristics with the other species of the subgenus Cucullomyia .

Titanogrypa luculenta has been recorded in decomposing animal matter ( Sousa et al. 2011, 2015), which suggests a sarcosaprophagous habit. Like T. (C.) larvicida , this species has a very wide distribution in Brazil and has been recorded in the states of the midwest, north, northeast and southeast regions.

Figures

Figure 5. Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta, holotype male (MNRJ) [lost]. (a) Sternite 5, ventral view. (b) Syntergosternite 7 + 8, epandrium, cercus and surstylus, lateral view. (c) Phallus and associated structures, lateral view. (d) Distiphallus, ventral view. (e) Distiphallus, lateral view. Abbreviations: ar = arm; bp = basiphallus; bs = base; ce = cercus; ea = ejaculatory apodeme; ep = epandrium; ga = postgonal apodeme; hp = hypandrium; ju = juxta; ls = lateral stylus; ms = median stylus; ph = phallapodeme; po = postgonite; pr = pregonite; pp = paraphallus; sur = surstylus; stg 7 + 8 = syntergosternite 7 + 8; ve = vesica.

Figure 7. Male specimens of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) and Oxysarcodexia. (a) Head of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta. (b) Head of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) ecuatoriana. (c) Scutellum of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) larvicida. (d) Scutellum of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) luculenta. (e) Scutellum of Oxysarcodexia thornax (Walker). Head – The arrow shows the upper frontal bristle; Scutellum – the arrow show the patch of setulae.