Morellia (Morellia) zimini Sychevskaya 1967
Creators: name: Pamplona, Denise
name: Nihei, Silvio S.
name: Couri, Márcia S.
name: Pont, Adrian C.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Muscidae
Morellia
Morellia zimini

description: 42. Morellia (M.) zimini Sychevskaya, 1967
(Figs 168–173)
Morellia zimini Sychevskaya, 1967: 821. Type locality: KYRGYZSTAN, Terskey-Alatau, near Kara-Batkak glacier, valley of river Kashka-Tor. Holotype Ƌ, ZIN (but not found there by Pont 2004: 90).
Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and gena black with grey-golden pruinosity; face and antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver-dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum silver pruinose; mesonotum light grey dusted behind suture; legs brown; haltere slightly brownish; calypters yellowish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings but with a very faint spot just after humeral cross-vein; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern.
Male. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm.
Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.13 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with many long setulae; about 21 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 2.0 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and many setulae; arista plumose, with 18–19 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 6th to 7th cilia; vibrissa as long as arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and some other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 9–10 genal setae.
Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2; dorsocentrals 3+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; 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 bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3–4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 7 setae, with 2–3 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 becoming shorter basad, and a posteroventral row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short setae, 3–4 posterodorsal setae, about 5 long posteroventral setae on apical half, many setulae on ventral surface, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 anteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling; mid femur without a tubercle, with about 6–7 spine-like posterodorsal-dorsal setae and some shorter ones at apex, 2 anterior setae on middle third, anterodorsal row of setae on basal half, 8 posteroventral setae on apical half, and 4–6 ventral setae on basal third; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of setae on basal two-thirds, of which the lowermost are much stronger, a posteroventral row of 4–5 strong setae on basal two-thirds, 1 long seta on apical third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae, and 2 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, 4 strongest at apex, an anterodorsal row of setae, 4 strong posterodorsal setae on middle third, a group of posterior setulae at base and a few long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with a row of short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, the 4 on apical half stronger, an anterodorsal row of short setae of which one at middle is longer, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a posterodorsal row of setae, the 2 on basal third stronger and 1 much stronger on apical third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior ctenidium; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost straight; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 2 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; 5–6 strong setae on basicosta.
Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 2–5 with setae laterally and tergites 4 and 5 with setae on disc and apically; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and bare on basal third (Fig. 168).
Terminalia. Outer margin of cercal plate almost straight; cercal plate ventrally with one spine; surstylus with setae basally and apically (Figs 169–170); basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 2 long and strong setae on basal half and 2 short setae on apical half; paramere with many setae apically and one seta on middle third (Fig. 171).
Female. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm.
Similar to male but differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.43 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with many proclinate setulae and no reclinate setae; about 12 frontal setae; postpedicel about 1.2 times the length of pedicel; fore tibia without the 5 long posteroventral setae on apical half; mid femur with weaker ventral setae; hind tibia with reduced setation: 4–5 posterodorsal setae, with 1 stronger one (calcar) beyond middle; anterodorsal row of sparse setae, with 1 strong seta at middle; 5 fine anteroventral setae; and without posterior or posteroventral setae.
Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 1 plate with setae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly curved, posteriorly with 2 plates with small setae; tergite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly enlarged with many setae; sternite 6 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setulae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 4 round plates with small spines; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with small setulae; epiproct triangular, anteriorly incised with about 6 setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long (Figs 172–173).
Material examined. KYRGYZSTAN: Terskey-Alatau, near Kara-Batkak glacier, valley of river Kashka-Tor, 3,300 m, 8.vii.1964, V.I. Sychevskaya, 1 Ƌ paratype (BMNH); the same but 25. i.1964 [sic!], 1 ♀ paratype (BMNH).
Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.
description: Published as part of 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, pp. 1-110 in Zootaxa 4163 (1) on pages 90-92, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4163.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/259278