Oxysarcodexia aurata ( Macquart, 1851 )

Souza, Carina Mara De, Pape, Thomas & Thyssen, Patricia Jacqueline, 2020, Oxysarcodexia Townsend, 1917 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) - a centennial conspectus, Zootaxa 4841 (1), pp. 1-126 : 28-29

Oxysarcodexia aurata ( Macquart, 1851)

( Figs 39–41 )

Sarcophaga aurata Macquart, 1851: 207 ; probably Society Islands, Tahiti [“Océanie”]. Holotype male in MNHN (not examined). [ Pape (2008: 44) argued from other sources than the original description that the single male is a holotype.]

Sarcophaga taitensis Schiner, 1868: 314 (as taïtensis ); French Polynesia, Society Island, Tahiti. One male and two female syntypes in NMW (not examined) [“Ein Männchen und zwei Weibchen aus Taïti” ( Schiner 1868: 315)]. [ Tibana & Mello (1983a: 244) indicated a “ holotype ” male to be in NMW, but this is erroneous and cannot be considered a lectotype designation according to Article 74.5 of the Code ( ICZN 1999).]

Sarcophaga obtusifrons Thomson, 1869: 536 ; Galápagos Islands. Two female syntypes in NRM (not examined). [ Thomson (1869) described the species from an unspecified number of syntypes; Aldrich (1930: 28) examined “two females, Galapagos Islands ”, which are still deposited at the NRM (Y. Brodin, pers. comm.).]

Sarcophaga vesica Hall, 1933: 283 ; Panama, Canal Zone , Ancon. Holotype male and three male paratypes in USNM (not examined).

Dasyproctia auricauda Enderlein, 1928: 23 ; Western Samoa, Otheide. Lectotype male (designated by Townsend 1931: 77) and female paralectotype, not located (not examined). [According to Pape (1995: 14), the lectotype designation made by Townsend (1931) is valid; the material appears to have been sent from MNHU to Dr. H. R. Dodge as a loan but was never returned.]

Oxysarcodexia lapitana Lehrer & Barbet, 2008: 1 . [Unavailable name, proposed after 1999 without indication of current or intended type depository.]

Diagnosis. Male. Length 9.0–10.0 mm. Postocular plate with golden pollinosity. Ocellar bristles well developed. Thorax and abdomen with silvery pollinosity; T5 partly with golden pollinosity. Two well-differentiated posterior and 1–3 smaller anterior post-sutural dorsocentrals. Apical scutellar bristles absent. Legs blackish. T3 with 3 pairs of lateral marginal bristles, T4 with 1 pair of median marginal and 3 pairs of lateral marginal bristles. ST5 with deep median cleft with margins almost parallel and with bristles at apex of arms. Cercus sinuous in lateral view, with normal apex (i.e., as broad as median area) and concave margin. Cercus with bristles ventrally only in distal third. Cerci with distal third as broad as middle part in posterior view; diverging. Pregonite of equal width from base to apex, apex darker than base. Postgonite with expanded base, gradually narrowing to apex; unicolorous. Distiphallus with smooth ventroapical margin, rounded apex, lateral lobes, large dorsoapical membranous swelling and straight dorsal outline. Vesica symmetrical, with angular median projection of main branch; distal lobes well developed, with filaments, tapering, partially membranous, with spines only on ventral surface.

Remarks. Pape (2008) proposed O. aurata as a senior synonym of O. taitensis , and although the second name had been used as valid in several papers, it did not qualify as a nomen protectum [Article 23.1 of the Code ( ICZN 1999)]. Oxysarcodexia aurata presents a large membranous dorsoapical swelling of the distiphallus ( Fig. 40 ), as also observed in O. eberti Lopes & Tibana, 1987 ( Fig. 106 ), O. galeata ( Aldrich, 1916) ( Fig. 133 ), O. intona ( Fig. 155 ), O. peltata ( Fig. 220 ) and O. varia ( Fig. 268 ). The shape of the cercus in lateral view and the large size of the membranous dorsoapical swelling of the distiphallus are character states grouping O. aurata and O. peltata together ( Figs 40 , 220 ). These species were included by Lopes (1975c) together with O. culminata , O. culmiforceps , O. fringidea and O. intona in the peltata group, which includes females that present a reduced and membranous T7, ST6+7 and 8 narrow, and T5 with lateral margins meeting ventrally (in dry material) ( Tibana & Mello 1983a, 1985).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL. Chile (Cauquenes), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Galapagos Islands (Albemarle,Charles,Chatham,Duncan,Indefatigable,Narborough,San Salvador), Panama, Peru.AUSTRALASIAN/ OCEANIAN. Fiji, French Polynesia (Austral Islands, Marquesas Islands, Society Islands, Tubuai Islands), New Caledonia, Tahiti, Tonga, Western Samoa.

Biology. This species has been collected from chicken viscera and fish in urban, rural and forest areas (Ramírez-Mora et al. 2012; Yepes-Gaurisas et al. 2013). In Antioquia, Colombia, Yepes-Gaurisas et al. (2013) observed an increase in frequency of O. aurata in association with rain, and found it to be highly synanthropic. In Guajira, Colombia, this species was collected in urban, forested and rural areas, in decreasing order of abundance, using Van Someren-Rydon traps baited with fermented fruit, decomposing fish and human feces ( Valverde-Castro et al. 2017). A male labelled “Ex—cow dung” (see next paragraph) may refer to either an adult visiting or a breeding record.

Material examined. [ ♂] NEW CALEDONIA: Province Nord. Poindimié, near the coast, 24–28.xi.2001, Johanson, Pape & Viklund / NRM-DIPT 0014339 [ NRM] // [♂] Society Is., Tahiti Punaaina, 4.1.1978, N. H. L. Krauss leg. [ NHMD] // [ ♂] COLOMBIA Palmira, Valle 2. June. 1971 1006 M 247 G.P. Waldbauer / Oxysarcodexia vesica [no italics] (Hall) ♂ Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] Viti Levu FIJI, 17.Aug.1966. G. Bornemissza. Ex—cow dung. / Oxysarcodexia taitensis ♂ (Sch.) Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] .

Figures

FIGURES 33–41. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 33–35. Oxysarcodexia augusta Lopes (Brazil, Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, NRM). 33. Habitus, lateral view. 34. Terminalia, lateral view. 35. Terminalia, posterior view. 36–38. Oxysarcodexia aura (Hall) (Brazil, Minas Gerais, Pirapora, MNRJ, except 37–38 from MACN). 36. Habitus, lateral view. 37. Terminalia, lateral view. 38. Terminalia, posterior view. 39–41. Oxysarcodexia aurata (Macquart) (Society Is., Tahiti Punaaina, NHMD). 39. Habitus, lateral view. 40. Terminalia, lateral view. 41. Terminalia, posterior view. Figs 37–38 by P.R. Mulieri (MACN).

FIGURES 99–107. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 99–101. Oxysarcodexia cyaniforceps (Hall), holotype (Panama, Barro Colorado Island, AMNH). 99. Habitus, lateral view. 100. Terminalia, lateral view. 101. Terminalia, posterior view. 102–104. Oxysarcodexia diana (Lopes) (Colombia, Antioquia, Medellín, CE-TdeA). 102. Habitus, lateral view. 103. Terminalia, lateral view. 104. Terminalia, posterior view. 105–107. Oxysarcodexia eberti Lopes & Tibana (Brazil, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, MNRJ). 105. Habitus, lateral view. 106. Terminalia, lateral view. 107. Terminalia, posterior view. Figs 99–101 by D. Grimaldi (AMNH).

FIGURES 132–138. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 132–134. Oxysarcodexia galeata (Aldrich) (USA, Alabama, Madson Co., NRM). 132. Habitus, lateral view. 133. Terminalia, lateral view. 134. Terminalia, posterior view. 135–138. Oxysarcodexia graminifolia sp. n., holotype (Ecuador, Napo Province, MZPUCE). 135. Habitus, lateral view. 136. Terminalia, lateral view. 137. Terminalia, posterior view. 138. Terminalia, ventroapical view.

FIGURES 148–156. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 148–150. Oxysarcodexia injuncta (Walker) (Brazil, Minas Gerais, Extrema, LIE). 148. Habitus, lateral view. 149. Terminalia, lateral view. 150. Terminalia, posterior view. 151–153. Oxysarcodexia insolita Lopes (Ecuador, Napo Province, NRM). 151. Habitus, lateral view.152. Terminalia, lateral view. 153. Terminalia, posterior view. 154–156. Oxysarcodexia intona (Curran & Walley) (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, NRM). 154. Habitus, lateral view. 155. Terminalia, lateral view. 156. Terminalia, posterior view.

FIGURES 219–227. Oxysarcodexia spp. 219–221. Oxysarcodexia peltata (Aldrich) (Cuba, NHMD). 219. Habitus, lateral view. 220. Terminalia, lateral view. 221. Terminalia, posterior view. 222–224. Oxysarcodexia perneta (Walker) (Mexico, Morelos, Cuernavaca, MNRJ). 222. Habitus, lateral view. 223. Terminalia, lateral view. 224. Terminalia, posterior view. 225– 227. Oxysarcodexia peruviana (Lopes) (Argentina, MACN). 225. Habitus, lateral view. 226. Terminalia, lateral view. 227. Terminalia, posterior view. Figs 225–227 by P.R. Mulieri (MACN).

FIGURES 264–273. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 264–266. Oxysarcodexia trivialis (Wulp) (Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Las Alturas, Cerro Chai, NHMD). 264. Habitus, lateral view. 265. Terminalia, lateral view. 266. Terminalia, posterior view. 267– 270. Oxysarcodexia varia (Walker) (267: Argentina, MACN; 268–269: Argentina, Chubut, NRM; 270: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Extrema, LIE). 267. Habitus, lateral view. 268. Terminalia, lateral view. 269. Distiphallus, anterior view. 270. Terminalia, posterior view. 271–273. Oxysarcodexia ventricosa (Wulp) (USA, Alabama, Madison County, NRM). 271. Habitus, lateral view. 272. Terminalia, lateral view. 273. Terminalia, posterior view. Fig. 267 by P.R. Mulieri (MACN).