Calliphora loewi Enderlein, 1903

Prado e Castro, Catarina, Szpila, Krzysztof, Martinez-SanchezCarla Rego 4, Anabel, Silva, Isamberto, Serrano, Artur R. M. & Boieiro, Mario, 2016, The blowflies of the Madeira Archipelago: species diversity, distribution and identification (Diptera, Calliphoridaes. l.), ZooKeys 634, pp. 101-123 : 110-111

Taxon classification Animalia Diptera Calliphoridae

Calliphora loewi Enderlein, 1903

Material examined.

Madeira: Galhano 3 (15 first instar larvae). The first instar larvae (Fig. 4A) were obtained from 13 gravid females collected in Galhano ( Prado e Castro et al. 2016).

Diagnosis.

The first instar larvae of Calliphora loewi from Madeira possess the general habitus characteristic of most Calyptratae, being divided into a bilobed pseudocephalon (pc), three thoracic segments (t1-t3), seven abdominal segments (a1-a7), and an anal division (ad) that carries the posterior spiracles.

Redescription.

Body length: 1.4-5.1 mm. Pseudocephalon. Antennal complex with small antennal dome situated on basal ring, antennal dome slightly longer than height of basal ring; maxillary palpus located on anterior surface of pseudocephalic lobe and readily visible under a light microscope as a flat disc clearly distinguished from the surrounding cuticular surface; oral ridges present from lateral margins of functional mouth opening to ventral and lateral surfaces of pseudocephalon; functional mouth opening with two lateral tufts of numerous cirri. Cephaloskeleton. As in other necrophagous blowflies; consisting of unpaired labrum (lb), paired mouthhooks (mh), unpaired and H-shaped intermediate sclerite (is) and basal sclerite with parastomal bars (pb), vertical plates (vp) and ventral and dorsal cornua (vc, dc) (Figs 4B, C); each mouthhook an L-shaped bar, with tip equipped with 6 strong, pointed teeth directed ventrally, teeth arranged in one row with one tooth situated in front of row (well visible in ventral view); basal part of mouthhook also strongly sclerotized and equipped with a lateral arm (Figs 4B, C); labrum with readily differentiated sharp and curved apical part, ventral incision separating apical and basal parts of labrum indistinct (Fig. 4C); epistomal sclerite ["posterior expansion of labrum" in Szpila et al. (2014)] flat in lateral view (Fig. 4C); parastomal bars (pb) long and slender; intermediate sclerite (is) and crossbeam of intermediate sclerite broad; vertical plate (vp) as broad as width of ventral cornua (Fig. 4B); dorsal cornua slightly longer than ventral cornua (Fig. 4B); dorsal bridge present (Fig. 4B). Thoracic segments Anterior spinose band on first thoracic segment broad (Fig. 4A), with spines arranged in 5-7 rows dorsally and 12-14 rows ventrally; anterior spinose bands of second and third thoracic segments with homogenous conical, slightly flattened spines, tip of spines slightly curved. Abdominal segments. Anterior spinose bands complete on segments a1-a5, narrowly interrupted dorsally on segment a6; segment a7 with anterior spinose band on ventral and ventro-lateral surfaces and with several spines on lateral surface; posterior spinose band on segment a1 reduced to two small groups of spines situated ventro-laterally, on a2 posterior spines only on ventral and ventro-lateral surfaces, segment a3 with narrow posterior spinose band interrupted dorsally, segments a4-a7 with complete posterior spinose band. Anal division. Anal pads rounded and slightly protruding, anal tuft with several spines dorsally; circle of hair-like spines around spiracular field complete; anterior spinose band developed only on ventral and ventro-lateral surfaces.

Comparison with original description.

The comparison of first instar larval specimens from Madeira with the original description ( Erzinçlioğlu 1985) points to several discrepancies. Erzinçlioğlu (1985) described the anterior spinose band on a5 of Calliphora loewi as interrupted dorsally. Szpila et al. (2014) used this character for separation of Calliphora loewi larvae from those of Calliphora vicina and Cynomya mortuorum (Linnaeus, 1761), where the anterior spinose band on a5 is complete. However, the first instar larvae of Calliphora loewi from Madeira also possess a complete anterior spinose band on a5. This character seems to be variable and cannot be treated as reliable. Serious discrepancies between the material from Madeira and the British larvae studied by Erzinçlioğlu (1985) were also found in the morphology of the labrum in the cephaloskeleton. Larvae from Madeira possess a massive labrum with broad basal part and well differentiated apical part. Additionally, the apical part of the labrum is noticeably curved downward. The cephaloskeleton of Calliphora loewi larvae in the schematic illustration provided by Erzinçlioğlu (1985, fig. 28) possesses an elongated labrum (labelled as "median tooth"), without clear differentiation between an apical part and a basal part. Unfortunately, at this stage it is not possible to state that these differences between Madeira specimens and the original description result from interpopulation variation or inaccuracy of observation, as the larval material analyzed for the original description is unavailable ( Szpila et al. 2013). Future studies on the variation of Calliphora loewi larval morphology across the species distribution range will help to clarify this issue.