Mesembrinella bolivar ( Bonatto, 2005 )

Whitworth, Terry L. & Yusseff-Vanegas, Sohath, 2019, A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea), Zootaxa 4659 (1), pp. 1-146 : 58-59

Mesembrinella bolivar ( Bonatto, 2005)

( Figs 6 , 37–38 , 127–128 , 206 , 462 )

Giovanella bolivar Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005: 886 . Holotype male (USNM), examined. Type locality: Kavanayen , Bolivar, Venezuela.

Giovanella bolivar: Kosmann et al. (2013: 77) ; Wolff et al. (2013b: 132); Marinho et al. (2017: tab. 1); Velásquez et al. (2017: 108).

Mesembrinella bolivar: Cerretti et al. (2017 : tab. 2).

Diagnosis. A medium-sized blue-brown fly, the single specimen available measured 11 mm in length. Legs mostly brown, except femora orange with apical 1/4 reddish-brown vs. legs entirely brown in M. carvalhoi ; spiracles orange vs. anterior spiracle yellow-orange and posterior spiracle dark brown in M. carvalhoi ; wing infuscated along anterior edge of costa up to R 2+3. Male terminalia with cercus and surstylus not widely separated in lateral view; base of cercus not enlarged, without dense comb of setae ( Fig. 37 ).

Redescription. Male [holotype]. Head. Frons narrow, 0.02/1 of head width at narrowest, narrower than width of anterior ocellus; fronto-orbital slender with silvery tomentum ventrally and orange tomentum dorsally; dorsal 2/3 of parafacial silvery, ventral third orange; gena orange with faint whitish tomentum, covered with fine tan setae and typical horizontal row of stout setae extending from postgena through to lower parafacial; postgena with silvery tomentum and few dark setae anteriorly, posteriorly with long orange setae; occiput with fine yellow setae, dorsal third dull black, remainder with whitish tomentum; antenna: pedicel pale orange with short brown setae, first flag- ellomere brown with yellowish tomentum, arista with proximal 1/3 orange and distal 2/3 black; eye with median facets about 3x size of lateral facets; frontal setae ascending about 30% of distance to vertex; ocellar triangle small, anterior ocellus slightly larger than posterior ocelli; supravibrissal setae on facial ridge very sparse, forming a small cluster of 3 or 4 setae at base.

Thorax. Dorsum brown with pale tomentum appearing pale bluish on prescutum; scutellum brown without tomentum or stripes; pleura bluish-orange with pale tomentum; chaetotaxy: ac 0:0, dc 2:3; ia 0, ph 0, ppn 2x 2, kat 1:1, meron with long, slender tan setae; 1 pair converging ap, 1 lat, 1 bas, 0 disc, no other setae; [subscutellum not visible on specimen]; spiracles yellow-orange, anterior spiracle with a long, narrow opening gradually widening above ( Fig. 6 ), instead of the typical broad, oval opening seen in other species-groups ( Fig. 5 ); legs: femora entirely orange except brown distally, tibiae and tarsi brown. Wing with distinct dark infuscation along anterior edge from costa to vein R 2+3; vein M, crossvein dm-cu and vein CuA dark shaded; rest of wing somewhat darkened; section IV 0.11 of section III; subcostal sclerite pale orange with pubescence; basicosta and tegula brown; discs of upper and lower calypters light tan; rims dark brown with long brown setae.

Abdomen. T1–3 yellow-orange, T4–5 brown with whitish tomentum. T1+2 with cluster of stout lateral marginal setae; T3–T5 each with pair of lateral marginal setae; T4 and T5 with row of stout setae on posterior margins; disc of T5 without mid-dorsal horizontal row of stout setae, with fine setae only. Terminalia [the holotype’s terminalia were already dissected and in marginal condition, as shown in Figs 37–38 ]. In lateral view with surstylus curved slightly backward, epandrium of moderate size ( Fig. 37 ); in posterior view base of cercus broad, tapered steadily to rounded tips ( Fig. 38 ); phallus in lateral view with epiphallus of moderate size and gradually curved backward ( Fig. 127 ); in dorsal view, hypophallic lobes narrow ( Fig. 128 ); T6, STS7+8, pre- and postgonite and ejaculatory sclerites as in Fig. 206 .

Female. [No female specimens were examined by us. Bonatto & Marinoni (2005) examined two females and described some characters, but they did not illustrate them. They stated that the spermathecae are filiform and the sternites oval.]

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ♂* ( Venezuela , Bolivar; USNM; Fig. 462 ), labeled: VENEZUELA: Bolivar / Kavanayen 1000m. / Aug. 8, 1970 / R. E. Dietz IV, leg. ; HOLOTYPE / Giovanella bolivar / S.R. Bonatto det. [red label]; USNMENT01288292.

Remarks. Specimen in good condition, rear part of T4 and all of T5 removed and dissected by Bonatto; T5 and terminalia in small plastic vial under specimen on pin; portion of T4 missing.

Distribution. Venezuela.

Remarks. Only the holotype male was examined. Bonatto & Marinoni (2005) provided a brief description of the female but did not illustrate any characters. The sketch of the anterior thoracic spiracle of M. bolivar provided by Bonatto & Marinoni (2005) is misleading: it is shown as a narrow, uniform slit, but examination of the holotype showed that it is actually in the shape of a narrow V ( Fig. 6 ). This unusual shape is also found in M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. and M. woodorum sp. nov. However, the epandrium, cerci and surstyli are very different in these two species ( Figs 31–34 ) compared to M. bolivar ( Figs 37–38 ). No specimens were barcoded.

Figures

FIGURES 1–8. Diagnostic characters of Mesembrinellidae and Calliphoridae. 1. Wing of Mesembrinella flavicrura Aldrich, showing veins and cells. 2. Wing of M. currani Guimar„es, showing infuscated anterior margin. 3. Wing of Laneella fusconitida sp. nov., showing dark macula around crossvein r-m. 4. Wing of Calliphora vomitoria (Linnaeus), showing acute bend of vein M. 5. Anterior spiracle of Mesembrinella batesi Aldrich, showing broad oval opening above. 6. Anterior spiracle of M. bolivar (Bonatto), showing long, narrow opening gradually widening above. 7. Meral setae and posterior spiracle of M. bicolor (Fabricius). 8. Last abdominal tergites of M. vogelsangi (Mello), showing setae.

FIGURES 33–38. Left lateral and posterior views of epandrium, cerci and surstyli of Mesembrinella spp. 33–34. M. woodorum sp. nov. 35–36. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 37–38. M. bolivar (Bonatto).

FIGURES 125–134. Left lateral and dorsal views of phallus of Mesembrinella spp. 125–126. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 127–128. M. bolivar (Bonatto). 129–130. M. decrepita Séguy 131–132. M. lara (Bonatto). 133–134. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov.

FIGURES 202–208. Male terminalia of Mesembrinella spp. (a = T6, STS7+8; b = pre- and postgonite; c = ejaculatory sclerite; d = ST6; e = hypandrium). 202. M. spicata Aldrich. 203. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov. 204. M. woodorum sp. nov. 205. M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann). 206. M. bolivar (Bonatto). 207. M. decrepita Séguy. 208. M. lara (Bonatto).

FIGURES 460–464. Lateral habitus and labels of holotypes. 460. Mesembrinella epandrioaurantia sp. nov. (MJMO). 461. M. woodorum sp. nov. (CNC). 462. M. bolivar (Bonatto) (USNM). 463. M. lara (Bonatto) (USNM). 464. M. nigrocoerulea sp. nov. (INBIO).

FIGURES 27–32. Left lateral and posterior views of epandrium, cerci and surstyli of Mesembrinella spp. 27–28. M. mexicana sp. nov. 29–30. M. spicata Aldrich. 31–32. M. epandrioaurantia sp. nov.