Morellia (M.) nigrisquama Malloch, 1928

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 : 60-62

26. Morellia (M.) nigrisquama Malloch, 1928

( Figs 96–101 )

Morellia nigrisquama Malloch, 1928b: 329 . Type locality: INDONESIA, Sumatra, west coast, Gunung Singgalang. Holotype Ƌ, BMNH (van Emden 1965: 108; Pont 1970: 95; seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity and a little golden dust; gena with grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta presuturally along acrostichals; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and pleura silver pruinose; legs dark brown; haltere yellow; calypters brown, upper calypter on outer half paler; wing without dark markings; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern and with silver pruinosity ventrally.

Male. Body length: 7.0–9.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–8.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.17 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with 1 pair of setae and a few long setulae; 15 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 3 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and a few setulae; arista plumose, with 23–26 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 5th to 7th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other long setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5 subvibrissal setae followed by 6–8 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 2+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; 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, 2 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 4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 2 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose medially and on subalar ridge; katepimeron with 2 setulae; 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; fore tibia with a posterodorsal row of short and strong setae, the lowermost 3–4 long and weak, 3–4 long and weak posteroventral setae on apical half, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a brush-like ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium on apical half; mid femur without a tubercle, with 1 anterior seta on middle third, a posterior row on apical half and 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae and 4 ventral setae on basal half; mid tibia with a posteroventral row of 4 strong setae on basal two-thirds, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae and 2 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of setae, a dorsal row of strong setulae, a ventral row of weak setae on basal half, 2 posterodorsal preapical setae and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5–6 short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterior row of short and weak setae, 1 strong anterodorsal and 1 strong posterodorsal setae on apical third, 6 short and weak posteroventral setae on apical third, a posterior ctenidium on apex, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 4–6 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 or almost to r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 5–6 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 2–5 with setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with few setae ( Fig. 96 ).

Terminalia. Apex of cercal plate like a spine; surstylus with 1 strong seta apically ( Figs 97–98 ); aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 2 small setae on basal half; paramere with some small setae on middle third ( Fig. 99 ).

Female. Body length: 7.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.36–0.38 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, longer on apical half; hind tibia with 4 shorter and subequal anteroventral setae on apical half, without the anterodorsal and posterodorsal strong setae, 2 posteroventral setae on middle third.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 rods, posteriorly with some very small setulae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, posteriorly strongly curved, 2 round plates with strong spines; tergite 8 as 2 rods; sternite 6 as 1 rod; sternite 7 as 1 rod, 2 round plates with strong spines; sternite 8 as 2 small plates with 2 small setae; enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 6–7 and 7–8; epiproct large with 4 very small setulae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical ( Figs 100–101 ).

Material examined. INDONESIA: Sumatra, Gunung Singgalang , 1800 m, 1925, E. Jacobson, holotype Ƌ and 1 ♀ ( BMNH) ; MALAYSIA, Pahang, Cameron Highlands , 5,000 feet, 8.vi.1974, C. E. Roche, 1 ♀ ( BMNH) .

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: China (Xizang). ORIENTAL: China (Yunnan), Nepal, India (several states), Pakistan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia (Bali, Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi). AUSTRALASIAN: Indonesia (Seram).

Figures

FIGURES 96 – 101. Morellia (M.) nigrisquama Malloch. 96. Sternite 5, holotype male. 97. Cercal plate and surstyli, holotype male. 98. Left surstylus, holotype male. 99. Phallic complex, lateral view, holotype male. 100. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 101. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.