Lucilia cluvia Walker
Creators: name: Whitworth, Terry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Calliphoridae
Lucilia
Lucilia cluvia

description: Lucilia cluvia (Walker)
Figs. 35, 37–39, 52–53, 64–66, 82, 89
Musca cluvia Walker, 1849: 885
Phaenicia cluvia: Hall, 1948: 236 Lucilia cluvia: Whitworth, 2006: 720
Diagnosis: Male with exceptionally broad frons, 0.12 (0.10–0.13)/13 of head width; female with frons 0.29 (.28–.30)/4. Basicosta usually pale; upper and lower calypter white to yellowish in both sexes; pale setae on lower genal dilation. Pattern of setae on tibia t1, 1p; t2, 1ad, 1av; t3, 2 pv to pd. Male genitalia in lateral view with surstylus digitate, parallel sided, lower half curving slightly forward; cercus straight with a broad base tapering evenly to a narrow point, about equal in length to surstylus. In posterior view, lower surstylus and cercus curving inward. Setae on the epandrium, surstylus and cercus much sparser in this species than in the rest of the L. eximia group. Phallus and other male characters and ovipositor are typical for the L. eximia group (Figs. 52–53, 64–66, 82, 89).
Distribution. This species is rare, but specimens were seen from several locations in Puerto Rico (CMNH, FSCA, UPR, USNM) including Mayaguez, San Juan, Toa Baja, Fort of France, and also from Martinique (CNC), Havana, Cuba (USNM) and possibly Anguilla (CNM) (see comments below). It is also found in the southeastern USA where it is generally rare, though many specimens were examined from the Florida Keys (FSCA). Specimens also were examined from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica, and Mariluis et al. (1994) recorded it from Argentina.
Discussion. The pale setae on the lower gena are a good character to separate both sexes of this species from most other West Indies Lucilia (except L. rica). Care must be taken not to confuse similar pale setae on the postgena with those on the gena. In this species the setae on the lower gena are usually a mix of pale and dark setae and they must be examined carefully in good light. This species is very similar in appearance to L. rica. Males are readily distinguishable by their exceptionally broad frons which is 0.11 of head width (broader than width of first flagellomere), which is unique for Neotropical Lucilia with two postsutural acrostichal setae. Frons width in L. rica is much narrower, averaging 0.02–0.03 of head width (much narrower than first flagellomere). Lucilia cluvia has a pale basicosta versus a brown basicosta in L. rica. Basicosta color alone is not always reliable to separate these species as basicosta discoloration (darkening) may occur in L. cluvia. Also some L. rica have a lighter-colored basicosta, from light brown to orange-brown. Lucilia cluvia also has tomentum on the upper third or more of T4 (Fig. 37) while that area is polished in L. rica (Fig. 36). A single female from Anguilla (CNC) is in such poor condition that I cannot be sure if it is L. cluvia or L. rica. It is included here because it has a pale basicosta, though more collections from Anguilla are needed to determine which species are present there.
description: Published as part of Whitworth, Terry, 2010, Keys to the genera and species of blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of the West Indies and description of a new species of Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy, pp. 1-35 in Zootaxa 2663 on page 20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.276279