Muscini Latreille, 1802

Michelsen, Verner, 2022, Costal vein chaetotaxy, a neglected character source in Fanniidae and Muscidae (Diptera: Calyptratae), European Journal of Taxonomy 826, pp. 94-134 : 109-113

Tribe Muscini Latreille, 1802

This tribe is now suspected of being paraphyletic, because molecular studies ( Kutty et al. 2014, 2019) nest Stomoxyini within the Muscini as presently understood. Grzywacz et al. (2021), based on molecular approaches, even suggested a classification in which the traditional Muscini genera Mesembrina and Polietes are moved to the Azeliinae . This classification is not adopted here in the absence of morphological support. Species from 17 of 23 currently recognized genera and subgenera ( Table 1 ) have been examined, but data from the remaining genus-group taxa (names marked with an asterisk below) have been extracted from Nihei & de Carvalho (2007), who performed a character analysis of the Muscini that involved scoring of the presence/absence of setulae ventrally on CS1 or CS1‒CS3.

• Biopyrellia Townsend, 1932 , Curranosia Paterson, 1957 , Dasyphora Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (including subgenera Eudasyphora Townsend, 1911 and Rypellia Malloch, 1931 ), Deltotus Séguy, 1935 *, Hennigmyia Peris, 1967 , Mitroplatia Enderlein, 1935 , Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (including subgenera Parapyrellia Townsend, 1915 , Trichomorellia Stein, 1918 * and Xenomorellia Malloch, 1923 *), Myiophaea Enderlein, 1935 , Neorypellia Pont, 1972 *, Polietina Schnabl & Dziedzicki, 1911 *, Pyrellina Malloch, 1923 , Sarcopromusca Townsend, 1927 * and Ziminellia Nihei & de Carvalho, 2007

The examined species belonging to these genera/subgenera of Muscini share the prevalent muscid state A 4 in which vein C is bare dorsally and extensively setulose ventrally: Biopyrellia bipuncta (Wiedemann, 1830) , Curranosia gemma (Bigot, 1878) , Dasyphora (Dasyphora) (6 spp), D. ( Eudasyphora ) (4 spp), D. ( Rypellia ) (3 spp), Hennigmyia setinervis (Stein, 1913) , Mitroplatia (4 spp), Morellia (Morellia) (12 spp), M. ( Parapyrellia ) (1 sp.), Myiophaea spissa (Walker, 1858) , Pyrellina (3 spp) and Ziminellia (3 spp). The other genera and subgenera in the list above that are tagged with an asterisk were scored for character A by Nihei & de Carvalho (2007).

• Mesembrina Meigen, 1826

A small, distinctive genus of large and robust Muscidae . Nihei & de Carvalho (2007) observed that species of Mesembrina have the ventral setulae on vein C confined to CS1 (state A2). My examination of the following species confirms this: M. latreillii Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 , M. meridiana (Linnaeus, 1758) , M. mystacea (Linnaeus, 1758) and M. resplendens Wahlberg, 1844 .

• Musca Linnaeus, 1758 ( Fig. 8A–C )

As pointed out by Nihei & de Carvalho (2007), the distribution of ventral costal setulae varies among species of the large cosmopolitan genus Musca . Character A as presently defined divides the 37 examined species into three groups:

Most species have the entire CS1occupied by ventral setulae (state A2): Musca aethiops Stein, 1913 , M. alpesa Walker, 1849 , M. autumnalis De Geer, 1776 , M. bakeri Patton, 1923 , M. bezzii Patton & Cragg, 1913 , M. convexifrons Thomson, 1869 , M. craggy Patton, 1922 (female only), M. domestica Linnaeus, 1758 ( Fig. 8A ), M. formosana Malloch, 1925 , M. gabonensis Macquart, 1855 , M. inferior Stein, 1909 , M. larvipara Portschinsky, 1910 , M. liberia Snyder, 1951 , M. lindneri Paterson, 1956 , M. lusoria Wiedemann, 1824 , M. pattoni Austen, 1910 , M. planiceps Wiedemann, 1824 , M. seniorwhitei Patton, 1922 , M. ventrosa Wiedemann, 1830 and M. xanthomelaena Wiedemann, 1824 .

Several species have the ventral costal setae occupying the basal quarter to basal half of CS1 (state A1): Musca afra Paterson, 1956 , M. albina Wiedemann, 1830 , M. biseta Hough, 1898 , M. cassara Pont, 1973 , M. conducens Walker, 1859 , M. confiscata Speiser, 1924 , M. craggy (male only), M. crassirostris Stein in Becker, 1903, M. dasyops Stein, 1913 , M. lasiophthalma Thomson, 1869 , M. munroi Patton, 1936 , M. sorbens Wiedemann, 1830 ( Fig. 8B ), M. tempestiva Fallén, 1817 and M. vetustissima Walker, 1849 .

A few species are without ventral costal setulae or have at most a few setulae at the extreme base of CS1 (state A0): Musca lucidula Loew, 1856 , M. osiris Wiedemann, 1830 and M. vitripennis Meigen, 1826 ( Fig. 8C ).

• Neomyia Walker, 1859 ( Fig. 9A–B )

As noticed by Nihei & de Carvalho (2007), the large cosmopolitan genus Neomyia varies with respect to the distribution of ventral costal setulae. Character A divides the 31 species presently examined in two groups as follows:

One group has vein C extensively setulose ventrally, which is the prevailing muscid state A4: Neomyia aureopyga (Malloch, 1923) , N. australis (Macquart, 1848) , N. claripennis (Malloch, 1923) , N. currani (Pont in Crosskey, 1980), N. diffidens (Walker, 1856) , N. intacta (Curran, 1935) , N. laxifrons (Villeneuve, 1916) , N. limbata (Villeneuve, 1916) , N. marginipennis (Stein, 1918) , N. nudissima (Loew, 1852) ( Fig. 9A ), N. rubrifacies (Malloch, 1923) and N. zumpti (Zielke, 1971) .

The other, larger group of species has the ventral costal setulae confined to CS1 (state A2): Neomyia albigena (Stein, 1913) , N. chrysopyga (Emden, 1939) , N. coeruleifrons (Macquartt, 1851) , N. cornicina (Fabricius, 1781) ( Fig. 9B ), N. dubia (Malloch, 1923) , N. fletcheri (Emden & Aubertin in Emden, 1965), N. gavisa (Walker, 1859) , N. indica (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) , N. laevifrons (Loew, 1858) , N. lauta (Wiedemann, 1830) , N. peronii (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) , N. racilia (Walker, 1859) , N. rhingiaeformis (Villeneuve, 1914) , N. sororella (Villeneuve, 1926) , N. sperata (Walker, 1859) , N. splendida (Adams, 1905) , N. timorensis (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) , N. viridescens (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) and N. viridifrons (Macquart, 1843) .

• Polietes Rondani, 1866 ( Fig. 10A–C )

As noticed by Nihei & de Carvalho (2007), differences in the distribution of ventral costal setulae divide the small genus Polietes in the same way as seen in Neomyia :

Three medium-sized species examined have vein C extensively setulose ventrally (state A4): Polietes domitor (Harris, 1780) ( Fig. 10A–B ), P. major (Ringdahl, 1926) and P. steinii (Ringdahl, 1913) .

Three large species examined have the ventral costal setulae confined to CS1 (state A2): Polietes lardarius (Fabricius, 1781) ( Fig. 10C ), P. meridionalis Peris & Llorente, 1963 and P. nigrolimbatus (Bonsdorff, 1866) .

• Pyrellia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

A difference in the distribution of ventral costal setulae determined by gender rather than species was observed in the five species presently examined: Pyrellia albocuprea Villeneuve, 1914 , P. rapax (Harris, 1780) , P. scintillans Bigot, 1888 , P. tasmaniae Macquart, 1846 and P. vivida Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 . The females have ventral setulae all over CS1 (state A2), while these setulae only occupy the basal half or less of CS1 (state A1) in the males.

Figures

Fig. 8. ♀♀ of Musca Linnaeus, 1758. A. M. domestica Linnaeus, 1758, detail of wing showing CS1‒3, ventral view. B. M. sorbens Wiedemann, 1830, detail of wing showing CS1‒3, ventral view. C. M. vitripennis Meigen, 1826, detail of wing showing CS1‒3, ventral view.

Fig. 9. ♀♀ of Neomyia Walker, 1859. A. N. nudissima (Loew, 1852), detail of wing showing CS1‒3, ventral view. B. N. cornicina (Fabricius, 1781), detail of wing showing CS1‒3, ventral view.

Fig. 10. ♀♀ of Polietes Rondani, 1866. A. P. domitor (Harris, 1780), wing, ventral view. B. Same, detail of wing showing CS1‒2, ventral view. C. P. lardarius (Fabricius, 1781), detail of wing showing CS1‒2, ventral view.