Morellia (M.) atrisquama Malloch, 1935

Pamplona, Denise, Nihei, Silvio S., Couri, Márcia S. & Pont, Adrian C., 2016, Taxonomy of Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Muscidae): revision of the subgenera Morellia s. str. and Parapyrellia Townsend, Zootaxa 4163 (1), pp. 1-110 : 20

4. Morellia (M.) atrisquama Malloch, 1935

( Figs 19–20 )

Morellia atrisquama Malloch, 1935: 573 . Type locality: SABAH, Mt. Kinabalu , Kenokok . Holotype ♀, BMNH (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face, parafacial and gena black with silver pruinosity; antenna dark brown with grey pruinosity; palpus brown, mesonotum black with a silver-dusted central vitta in front of the acrostichals; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum silver pruinose; scutellum silver laterally; legs dark brown; haltere yellow; calypters brownish; wing without dark markings; abdomen black with last tergite silver pruinose.

Female. Body length. 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0–8.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.29 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few setulae; with 3 proclinate and 2 reclinate setae; 15 pairs of frontal setae, about 5 or 6 much shorter than the others; 5–6 fronto-orbitals; postpedicel about 2.0–2.3 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 29–30 cilia, bare apicad, with some secondary plumes as far as level of 9th to 11th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista, 2–3 strong supravibrissal setae, half as long as vibrissa, and some other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 7–8 genal setae and other shorter ones.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2; dorsocentrals 2+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, half the length the first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with groundsetulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and lateroventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with 3 long setae (the lower one shorter) and many setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 7 setae, with 4 weak setae upcurved on upperanterior corner, covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose medially and on subalar ridge; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare and katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae, longer on apical half, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with a dorsal and an anteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a ctenidium of golden setulae; mid femur without a tubercle, with 1 anterior seta on middle third, 4 ventral setae on basal half, anteroventral setulae, and 6 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae, the 2 first weaker; mid tibia with 3 strong posteroventral setae on basal two-thirds, and a posterior row of short setae, 4 or 5 of which longer, 1 preapical seta and 2 anteroventral, 1 anterior and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with a complete anterodorsal row of setae and with an anteroventral row of fine setae on apical half, a weak posterior tuft at base, a row of weak setae on basal half, and few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 3 anteroventral setae on apical third, a dorsal row of setae, about 4 of which stronger, a posterodorsal row of setae, the median and basal ones longer, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 2 ventral and no posteroventral apical setae; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost straight, stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 9 short setulae before the humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 with strong setulae on dorsal surface from base to r-m, and from base to two-thirds to r-m on ventral surface; 3 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With few setae; sternite 1 setulose.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 rod-like with 3 groups of very small spines; tergite 7 rod-like with 5 strong curved spines posteriorly; tergite 8 sinuous, rod-like, broadened posteriorly; enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 6–7 and 7–8; sternite 6 small, rod-like; sternite 7 rod-like with 3 plates posteriorly, each with strong curved spines; sternite 8 very small with very small spines; epiproct large, with 4 very small spines; hypoproct with many setae; cercus flattened and not long ( Figs 19–20 ).

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. SABAH: Mt. Kinabalu, Kenokok , 3,300 ft., 22.iv.1929, H.M. Pendlebury, holotype Ƌ ( BMNH) ; same locality, 22–26. iv.1929, 2 ♀ paratypes ( BMNH) .

Distribution. ORIENTAL: known only from Sabah on the island of Borneo.

Figures

FIGURES 19 – 20. Morellia (M.) atrisquama Malloch, female. 19. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 20. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.