Morellia (M.) muscaoides Zielke, 1973

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 : 53-54

22. Morellia (M.) muscaoides Zielke, 1973

Morellia muscaoides Zielke, 1973: 364 . Type locality: ETHIOPIA, The Divide north-west of Addis Ababa. Holotype ♀, CNC, no. 12761 ( Cooper & Cumming 2000: 80; seen).

Redescription. Female. Colour. Black, with grey and golden pruinosity. Frontal vitta and upper half of frontoorbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity; silver pruinose around ocellar triangle; gena with grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum with one silver dusted central vitta on presutural acrostichals and grey on anterior half of postsutural acrostichals, and on posterior half between acrostichals and dorsocentrals, pleura silver pruinose; postalar callus silver pruinose; legs black; haltere yellow; calypters whitish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings; abdomen with a pair of golden pruinose patches on tergites 3, 4 and 5, most intense on tergite 5, these patches broadly separated on tergites 3 and 4 but almost touching on tergite 5, abdomen ventrally golden pruinose.

Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.13–0.18 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with 2 pairs of setae and a few long setulae; about 16 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 1.9 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 14 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 4th cilium; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 5 subvibrissal setae followed by 8 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong, half the length of first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 4, 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 pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 12 setae, with 2 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose medially and on subalar ridge; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds, and a posteroventral row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and weak setae, with 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal, 2 anteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae, anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium and with some long setae on basal segment; mid femur without a tubercle, with 2 anterior setae on middle third, anterodorsal row of setae on basal half, 4 posterodorsal setae on apical half, 8 posteroventral setae on apical half, 5 ventral setae on basal half and 6 dorsal to posterodorsal preapical setae; mid tibia with 1 anterodorsal seta on apical third, a row of very strong and short setulae, 7 posterior setae on basal two-thirds, 2 stronger posteroventral setae on apical half, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, and 2 anteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae, 3 posterodorsal preapical setae and a few long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 4 short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of short setae of which the middle one is longer, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a long and strong posterodorsal seta on apical third, 2 posterior setae on basal third, the lowermost longer and stronger, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae, 2 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium; hind tarsus with a golden brush ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 4 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose beyond r-m on dorsal surface and from base to midway to r-m on ventral surface; 4 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2, tergites 3–5 with a few setae laterally; tergites 4–5 with setae apically and tergite 5 with a few discal setae; sternite 1 setulose.

Ovipositor. The slide with the ovipositor (CNC 12) is probably lost.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. ETHIOPIA: The Divide north-west of Addis Abeba, 3100 m, 16.i.1968, J.W. Boyes, holotype ♀ ( CNC).

Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Ethiopia.