Mesembrinella purpurata Aldrich, 1922

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 : 85-89

Mesembrinella purpurata Aldrich, 1922

( Figs 45–46, 135–136, 210, 253, 296, 340, 382, 425, 465)

Mesembrinella purpurata Aldrich, 1922: 16 . Holotype male (USNM), examined. Type locality: Espirito Santo, Brazil.

Huascaromusca purpurata: Peris & Mariluis (1984: 255) ; Kosmann et al. (2013: 77); Wolff et al. (2017: 253); Marinho et al. (2017: tab. 1).

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

Diagnosis. A medium-sized fly averaging 10.6 mm (10–11/5) in length; postpronotal setae 2x 2; subcostal sclerite bare; outer posthumeral seta absent; wing with well-defined macula along costa.

Redescription. Male. Head. Frons narrow, 0.018 (0.015 –0.020 /4) of head width at narrowest; fronto-orbital, frontal vitta and parafacial dull orange [holotype lacking tomentum, but better preserved specimens have whitish tomentum], frontal vitta reduced to thin strip about halfway to ocellar triangle; gena and postgena dull orange with whitish tomentum, gena with small brown setae and horizontal row of stout setae from postgena across to lower parafacial; postgena with long silky orange setae; palpus typical; antenna orange; first flagellomere with pale tomentum; occipital area with upper edge subshining black, remainder with silvery tomentum and fine pale setae; median occipital sclerite shiny black in upper area, orange in lower area; eye with median facets about 3x size of lateral facets; frontal setae ascending about 30% of distance to vertex; ocellar triangle orange with ocelli about equal in size; a few supravibrissal setae at base of facial ridge.

Thorax. Dorsum shiny orange-brown with whitish tomentum forming two stripes midway and with two anterolateral bare patches; pleura orange; chaetotaxy: ac 0:1, dc 2:3, ia 0, ph 0, ppn 2x 2, kat 2:1, meron with long, slender tan setae, 1 pair of converging ap setae, sa absent, 1 weak lat, 1 stout bas, 1 weak pb, 1 disc; subscutellum weakly developed; anterior spiracle yellow, posterior spiracle pale orange; legs: femora orange, apices of mid and hind femora darkened; tibiae and tarsi brown. Wing with well-defined infuscation along costa from base of subcosta to where R 2+3 joins costa, remainder hyaline; subcostal sclerite orange and bare; basicosta and tegula orange; section IV 0.20 of section III; upper calypter with center of disc tan, outer edge white, rim dark with short tan setae; disc of lower calypter tan, rim with long white setae.

Abdomen. Anterior half of T1+2 orange, remainder brown; T3–5 brown with pale tomentum and purple highlights. T1–4 each with pair of lateral setae; posterior margin of T4 with row of stout setae; disc of T5 with mid-dorsal horizontal row of stout setae, rest of disc with sparse, fine setae. Terminalia in lateral view with surstylus parallel-sided, long and slender, slightly expanded distally ( Fig. 45); in posterior view, surstylus long and slender with inward curve ( Fig. 46); phallus in left lateral view with epiphallus slender and curved posteriorly ( Fig. 135); in dorsal view, hypophallic lobes slightly expanded ( Fig.136); T6, STS7+8, pre- and postgonite, ejaculatory sclerite and ST6 as in Fig. 210; sternites with ST 3–4 narrow ( Fig. 253).

Female. Similar to male except frons wider, 0.225 (0.22–0.23/2) of head width at narrowest. T6 of RV shape; T7 divided midway; T8 as two separate sclerites; epiproct divided ( Fig. 296); ST6–8 and hypoproct as in Fig. 340; spermathecae filiform ( Fig. 382); ST2–5 as in Fig. 425.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE ³ ( Brazil, Espirito Santo; USNM; Fig. 465), labeled: T. María / 12.06.99 / M. Rodriguez; Espir. [= Espirito] / Santo; Mesembrinella / purpurata / Ald.; Type No. / 25825 [red label].

Remarks. The holotype is in fairly good condition, but the head lacks the whitish tomentum seen on better specimens; the antenna is missing on one side and the arista is missing on the other.

Additional material examined. Brazil, São Paulo. 2 ³³*, 1 ³, Estacão Biológica Boracéia, Salesópolis , 16.iii.1972, J.H. Guimarães ( USNM) ; 1 ♀, same data except 30.iv.2011, DZ, IBUSP ( USNM); same data except ♀ ♦ ( TLW390 ) ( USNM) . Peru, Huánuco. 1 ♀ *, T. Maria, 17.vi.1999, M. Rodriguez ( CEUA) . Cusco. 1 ♀, Quin- cemil, 1–15.xi. 1962, 700 m, L. Pena ( CNC) .

Distribution. Brazil. Guimar„es (1977) also listed it from Ecuador and Peru.

Remarks. No specimens were barcoded.