Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis ( Mattos, 1919 )

Souza, Carina Mara De, Pape, Thomas & Thyssen, Patricia Jacqueline, 2020, Oxysarcodexia Townsend, 1917 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) - a centennial conspectus, Zootaxa 4841 (1), pp. 1-126 : 85-86

Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis ( Mattos, 1919)

( Figs 213–215 )

Sarcophaga paulistanensis Mattos, 1919: 72 ; Brazil, São Paulo. Forty-four (44) male and 90 female syntypes (not examined) [original depository not stated, possibly University of São Paulo, but no syntypes were recovered there].

Oxysarcodexia amarali Prado & Fonseca, 1932: 35 ; Brazil, São Paulo, São Paulo. Holotype male, female allotype and seven paratypes (sex not stated) [not located; originally stated to be in “Instituto Butantan”].

Oxysarcodexia delpontei Blanchard, 1939: 809 ; Argentina, Buenos Aires. Lectotype male [designated by Mulieri et al. (2010: 22)] and 11 female paralectotypes in MACN (not examined).

Oxysarcodexia artigasi Dodge, 1966: 684 ; Chile, Santiago. Holotype male in UCC and one male paratype in WSU (not examined).

Oxysarcodexia artegasi: Lopes (1973a: 298) , incorrect subsequent spelling of artigasi Dodge, 1966 .

Oxysarcodexia paulistanensi: Lenardis et al. (2017: 25) , incorrect subsequent spelling of paulistanensis Mattos, 1919 .

Diagnosis. Male. Length 6.0–9.0 mm. Postocular plate with golden pollinosity. Ocellar bristles weakly developed. Thorax and abdomen with silvery pollinosity, T5 without golden pollinosity. Two well-differentiated posterior and 1–3 smaller anterior post-sutural dorsocentrals. Apical scutellar bristles present. Legs blackish. T3 with 2 pairs of lateral marginal bristles, T4 with 1 pair of median marginal and 2 pairs of lateral marginal bristles. ST5 with deep median cleft with margins almost parallel and with pilosity. Cercus sinuous in lateral view, with expanded obliquely cut apex. Cercus with bristles ventrally over full length. Cerci with distal third of cercus narrower than middle part in posterior view; diverging. Pregonite and postgonite both with expanded base, gradually narrowing to apex; unicolorous. Distiphallus with ventroapical concavity with serrated margin, rounded apex, sinuous dorsal outline and small dorsoapical swelling. Vesica symmetrical, with rounded median projection of main branch and lateral lobes; distal lobes well developed, with filaments, tapering, sclerotized, with spines only on ventral surface.

Remarks. See under O. bikini , O. injuncta and O. marina . The female of O. paulistanensis has T7 divided into two plates ( Tibana & Mello 1985; Vairo et al. 2015). This species was included in a pictorial key to females of nine species of Sarcophagidae of forensic importance in southern Brazil, which also provided a description of the female ( Vairo et al. 2015). The morphology of all three larval instars was described by Lopes (1943) and studied ultrastructurally, using scanning electron microscopy, by Lopes & Leite (1987).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL. Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Ríos), Brazil (Distrito Federal, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraná , Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina , São Paulo), Chile (Santiago), Uruguay (Canelones).

Biology. Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis has been reared under laboratory conditions on agar and powdered milk for 24h, and then transferred to meat ( Lopes 1973b). Under natural conditions it has been reared from human feces [the preferred substrate for rearing according to Lopes (1973b) and Mendes & Linhares (1993)], rat carcasses ( Mendes & Linhares 1993; Moura 2004; Moura et al. 2005), and chicken viscera ( Mendes & Linhares 1993). The time of development reported in the literature for this fly is 8 days for the larval stages and 6–9 days from pupa to adult ( Lopes 1943). We reared this species at LIE on minced bovine meat (but larviposition was observed also on rotten fish), observing a larval stage duration of 5–7 days and development from pupa to adult of 8–12 days. Attractive baits for this species include human and dog feces, chicken viscera, rotten bovine liver, minced meat, rotten squid, fish (sardine), mouse, rat and pig carcasses, and rotten bananas mixed with yeast or brown sugar ( Lopes 1973b; Ferreira et al. 1980; Dias et al. 1984c; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Carvalho & Linhares 2001; Moura et al. 2005; Barros et al. 2008; Rosa et al. 2011; Vairo et al. 2011; Beuter et al. 2012; Mulieri et al. 2015; Dufek et al. 2016; Souza & Von Zuben 2016; Armani et al. 2017; Remedios-De León et al. 2017; Faria et al. 2018; Paseto et al. 2019; Remedios-De León et al. 2019). In a study on the synanthropy of flesh flies, Linhares (1981) recorded O. paulistanensis as more attracted to human feces and mouse carcasses than to chicken viscera, and pointed out a preference for sunlit as opposed to shaded areas. The higher frequency of adult females on chicken viscera and rodent carcasses suggests the use of these substrates as protein sources for ovarian development ( Mendes & Linhares 1993). Dufek et al. (2016) pointed out the strong preference of this species for human settlements in Argentinean wetlands. Souza & Von Zuben (2016) collected it in association with urban, rural and forest areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and semi-deciduous forest. Mulieri et al. (2008) analysed the seasonal trends in abundance, habitat preference and bait attractiveness of O. paulistanensis along the Buenos Aires coastline, finding a positive correlation with mean temperature, a preference for grassland as opposed to woodland, and a preference for dog feces as opposed to bovine liver. Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis occurs in urban, suburban and rural areas ( Linhares 1981; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Mulieri et al. 2011; Beuter et al. 2012; Dufek et al. 2016; Remedios-De León et al. 2017; Paseto et al. 2019; Remedios-De León et al. 2019), Brazilian Cerrado ( Barros et al. 2008; Rosa et al. 2011; Faria et al. 2018) and forest environments ( Dias et al. 1984c; Carvalho & Linhares 2001; Moura et al. 2005; Vairo et al. 2011; Paseto et al. 2019). A higher abundance of O. paulistanesis in the Brazilian Cerrado is reported for the dry season ( Barros et al. 2008; Rosa et al. 2011; Faria et al. 2018; Paseto et al. 2019). This species was also reported by Mulieri et al. (2010) and Lenardis et al. (2017) as visiting flowers of coriander ( Coriandrum sativum L.— Apiaceae ) and by Mulieri et al. (2010) as a visitor of shrubs of Condalia spp., Discaria americana Gillies & Hook , and Scutia buxifolia (all Rhamnaceae ).

Material examined. [ ♂] [Brazil] Pinheiros X-981 Lindolfo / Sarcophaga amarali ♂ P. et Fons. Det.H.S.Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] Barueri , São Paulo, Brasil 22.I.66 K. Lenko col. / Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis (Matt.) Det. R. Tibana [ MNRJ] // [♂] PETRÓPOLIS E. do RIO, BRASIL. / H. S. LOPES 15.I.73 / Oxy. paulistanensis ♂ (Matt.) Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] BRAZIL: São Paulo, Campinas , Sousas, 13.IV.2011, C. M. Souza, D. L. Brancoli, F. Rezende / O. paulistanensis, Sousas , Campinas-SP, 13/04/2011 [ LIE] // [♂] BRAZIL: São Paulo, Campinas, UNICAMP, IX.2010, C. M. Souza / O. paulistanensis , Campinas-SP, SET/2010 [ LIE] .

Figures

FIGURES 210–218. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 210–212. Oxysarcodexia parva Lopes (Brazil, São Paulo, Campinas, LIE). 210. Habitus, lateral view.211. Terminalia, lateral view. 212. Terminalia, posterior view.213–215. Oxysarcodexia paulistanensis (Mattos) (Brazil, São Paulo, Campinas, LIE). 213. Habitus, lateral view. 214. Terminalia, lateral view. 215. Terminalia, posterior view. 216–218. Oxysarcodexia peculiaris Lopes, holotype (Brazil, Espírito Santo, Linhares, MNRJ). 216. Habitus, lateral view. 217. Terminalia, lateral view. 218. Terminalia, posterior view.