Morellia (M.) longiseta van Emden, 1939

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 : 49-51

20. Morellia (M.) longiseta van Emden, 1939

( Figs 71–76 )

Morellia longiseta van Emden, 1939: 60 . Type locality: UGANDA: Ruwenzori Mts , Mobuku Valley, 7300 feet. Syntypes: 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀, BMNH (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face, parafacial, gena and antenna black with grey pruinosity; edge of face without pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals, postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and other pleura silver pruinose; supra-alars and lateral part of scutellum with faint grey pruinosity; fore and mid legs dark brown; haltere yellow, calypters yellowish; upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern and with silver pruinosity on last tergite and ventrally.

Male. Body length: 6.0–7.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–7.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.12– 0.13 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and a few setulae; 17–18 pairs of frontal setae, some weaker; postpedicel 1.1–1.4 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 1 seta and few setulae; arista plumose, with 12–14 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 3rd or 4th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half of vibrissal length, and a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 6–7 subvibrissal setae followed by 8–9 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, less than half the length of 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 preapical 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 about 4 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 8 setae, with 3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of short setae on apical two-thirds, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with a posterodorsal row of short and strong setae on apical two-thirds, 2 long and fine posteroventral setae on middle third, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, and a brush-like ctenidium on ventral surface; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterior to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 5 short spines that continue as 2 strong and 4 fine posterodorsal to posterior setae, all arranged in a U-shape, with 2 anterior setae on middle third, and 2 long and weak ventral setae on basal third; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like row of strong and short setae, the lowermost weaker, a dorsal row of very short and strong setae on basal two-thirds, 4 posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds, the lower 2 stronger, 1 posterior strong seta on apical third, an excavation on anterior-anterodorsal surfaces, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae and 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae, a ventral row of weak setae on basal half, 2 posterodorsal preapical setae, a group of posterior setulae at base and few long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5–6 long and weak subequal anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, an anterodorsal row of short setae on basal two-thirds ending with 2 stronger ones, 1 strong posterodorsal seta on apical third, 3 weak posterior setae on basal third, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae and 1 posteroventral apical seta; 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 5–6 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to midway to r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 3–4 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 3 to 5 with setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with setae ( Fig. 71 ).

Terminalia. Cercal plate with 2 setae ventrally; surstylus with setae basally and apically ( Figs 72–73 ); aedeagal apodeme short; aedeagus bare; basiphallus long; gonopod with 2 long and strong setae on basal third; paramere with some setae apically ( Fig. 74 ).

Female. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.33 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 5 proclinate setae, the uppermost one weaker, and 1 reclinate seta; pedicel with 2 setae and a few setulae; mid femur without a tubercle at anterior to posterodorsal apex, with just 1 or 2 short and fine setae; mid tibia without an anterior comb-like row; hind tibia with 4 long and weak subequal anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, shorter than in male; hind tarsus with strong setae ventrally.

Ovipositor. Tergite 7 like 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with 4 setae; tergite 8 like 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with long spines; sternite 7 like a single rod, posteriorly with 3 plates with setae; sternite 8 like 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with 4 setae; epiproct longer than broad, anteriorly deeply incised, with 4 setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 75–76 ).

Material examined. UGANDA: Ruwenzori Range, Mobuku Valley , 7,300 feet, xii.1934 – i.1935, F.W. Edwards, 1 Ƌ and 1 ♀ syntypes (BMNH); West Ruwenzori, 8,000–9,000 feet, vii.1946, van Someren, 2 ƋƋ ( BMNH) ; West Ruwenzori, 6,000 feet, vii.1945, van Someren, 1 Ƌ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Uganda.

Figures

FIGURES 71 – 76. Morellia (M.) longiseta van Emden. 71. Sternite 5, male. 72. Cercal plate, male. 73. Left surstylus, male. 74. Phallic complex, lateral view. 75. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 76. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.