Morellia (M.) couriae Pamplona, 1986

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 : 33-34

11. Morellia (M.) couriae Pamplona, 1986

(figs 13–19 in Pamplona 1986c)

Morellia couriae Pamplona, 1986c: 656 . Type locality: BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis , Retiro. Holotype Ƌ, MNRJ (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with green reflections. Upper half of frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate shining brown, basal half brown with silver pruinosity; face and upper two-thirds of parafacial brown with silver pruinosity, basal third and gena shining pale brown; antenna yellow with grey pruinosity, pedicel yellow, basal half of arista yellow; palpus yellow; mesonotum metallic black with a slight green reflection and with one silver dusted central vitta in front of the acrostichals; pleura silver pruinose; legs brown; haltere yellow, with stalk brown; calypters whitish, lower calypter white to yellow with brownish apical edge; wing with faint marking from tip of Sc to tip of R1 and down to R2+3, r-m cross-vein with a brown spot, dm-cu crossvein with a faint spot. Abdomen without pruinosity, lighter at base.

Male. Body length: 4.0–5.0 mm; wing length: 5.0–6.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.23–0.22 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and a few setulae; 10–12 pairs of weak frontal setae; postpedicel 1.8–1.9 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 14–16 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 5th to 7th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half length of vibrissa, and few other setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 4 subvibrissal setae followed by 9–10 genal setae. Palpus expanded at apex.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+2; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong, with another short one just below it; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3, the innermost weaker; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare, suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression with short pile and 3–4 setulae; proepimeron with about 5 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 12 setae, without upcurved setae on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long white setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with anteroventral, posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with a brush-like ctenidium on anterior surface, 1 anteroventral, 1 anterodorsal and 1 ventral preapical setae; fore tarsomere 1 with some long setae; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 3 agglutinated short spines that continue as about 5 posterodorsal to posterior setae, a row of posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds, and no ventral setae on basal third; mid tibia with 3 strong posterior setae on middle third, 1 short and strong dorsal preapical seta, 3 anteroventral, 1 dorsal, 1 posterior and 1 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae on apical half and an anterodorsal row; hind tibia with 4 long and fine anteroventral setae on apical half, the two apical ones longer, 4 anterodorsal setae on middle third, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, 1 posterior seta on middle third, 3 long and fine posteroventral setae on apical third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 anteroventral apical setae, and a posteroventral to ventral brush-like ctenidium; hind tarsus with strong setae ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost straight; stem-vein bare before, and with 5 short setulae after, humeral cross-vein on dorsal surface, and bare on ventral surface; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to just after r-m on dorsal surface and from base to r-m on ventral surface; 3–4 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2, tergites 3–5 with normal setulae; sternite 1 setulose. Sternite 5 almost square; membrane of posterior margin with setae.

Terminalia (figs 14–17 in Pamplona 1986c.). Cercal plate curved anteriorly; aedeagal apodeme small; basiphallus long; aedeagus with spicules on anterior membrane of distiphallus; gonopod with four long and strong setae, two on base and two on apex; paramere with many setae apically.

Female. Body length: 4.0–5.0 mm; wing length: 5.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.35–0.39 of head width; with 3 proclinate and 2 reclinate orbital setae. Mid femur without a tubercle.

Ovipositor (figs 18–19 in Pamplona 1986c). Tergite 8 as 2 plates with few spines; sternite 6 rod-like, anteriorly broadened; sternite 7 rod-like, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines; sternite 8 rod-like, posteriorly with 2 plates with many small spines and 2 long setae; long enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 7 and 8; epiproct with many setae; hypoproct with very small spines; cercus cylindrical.

Material examined. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis, Retiro , reared in laboratory from faeces, i.1981, H. S. Lopes, holotype Ƌ, one Ƌ and two ♀ paratypes ( MNRJ) .

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).