Morellia (Morellia) prolectata Walker 1861
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 prolectata

description: 32. Morellia (M.) prolectata (Walker, 1861)
(Figs 124–130)
Anthomyia prolectata Walker, 1861: 317. Type locality: SOUTH AFRICA, Kwa-Zulu-Natal. Holotype ♀, BMNH (Stein 1901: 204; seen).
Cyrtoneura prelutata Stein, 1901: 204. Unavailable name; proposed in synonymy with Anthomyia prolectata (erroneus citation of label).
Morellia abyssinica Séguy, 1935a: 108. Type locality: ETHIOPIA, Alafa. Syntypes, Ƌ and ♀, MNHN (seen).
Redescription. Colour. Black, with silver pruinosity. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate black; face and parafacial black with silver pruinosity; gena with grey pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver-dusted central vitta on presutural acrostichals and grey on anterior half of postsutural acrostichals, and silver dusted on posterior half between acrostichals and dorsocentrals; scutellum grey pruinose laterally; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and other pleura silver pruinose; legs brown; haltere with brown stalk and yellowish knob; lower calypter brown, upper calypter whitish with brownish edge and on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings, but with a very faint spot just after humeral crossvein; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern and with silver pruinosity laterally and ventrally.
Male. Body length: 6.0– 6.5 mm; wing length: 5.0–6.0 mm.
Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.14–0.17 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and 3 pairs of setulae; 15–19 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 1.3–1.8 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 14–18 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 4th to 7th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to basal fourth level of postpedicel; 4–5 subvibrissal setae followed by 7–8 genal setae.
Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+2; 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 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 3–4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 9 setae, with 3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron with 2–4 setulae; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with a posterodorsal row of subequal and weak setae, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, a ventral apical seta, and a brush-like ctenidium on ventral surface; fore tarsus with some long setae on basal segment; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterior to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 4 spines that continue as about 5 anterior short spines and about 6 anterior setae, 2 anterior setae on middle third, 5 posterodorsal setae on apical third, a ventral row of setae and a ventral excavation on apex; mid tibia narrowed at base, with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of very short spinose setulae on basal half and fine setae on apical half, a dorsal row of very strong and very short setae, 5 posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds, 3 posteroventral strong setae on basal two-thirds with 1 stronger seta on middle third, a ventral excavation at apex, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 2 ventral preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae, 2 posterodorsal preapical setae, a group of posterior setulae at base and a few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 2 short anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of short setae of the middle one is longer, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a long and strong posterodorsal seta on apical third, 1 posterior seta on basal third, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae and 1 anteroventral and no posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium on apical half; 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 5 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 after 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 4 and 5 with a few setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and with some setae laterally (Fig. 124).
Terminalia. Outer apical half of cercal plate slightly convex; cercal plate ventrally with 3 spines; surstylus with setae basally and apically (Figs 125–127); aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; basiphallus long; aedeagus with spicules on anterior membrane of distiphallus; gonopod with 3 long and strong setae on basal half; paramere with many setae apically (Fig. 128).
Female. Body length: 5.5–6.0 mm; wing length: 5.0–6.0 mm.
Similar to male, differing as follows: lower third of frontal plate with silver pruinosity; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.33 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate setae, 2 proclinate setulae and 2 reclinate setulae; mid femur without a tubercle and with only 4 setae on dorsal-posterodorsal apex, of which the most posteroventral is stronger; mid tibia without an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of very short spinose setulae on basal half and with 3 posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds.
Ovipositor. Tergite 6 shaped as 2 golf-club-like rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, posteriorly with setae; tergite 8 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with spinose setae; sternite 6 as 1 plate with setae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 1 plate with spinose setae; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 small plates with small spines; epiproct small, anteriorly deeply incised, with 4 spinose setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long (Figs 129–130).
Material examined. ETHIOPIA: Alafa, 1850 m, 2.v.1907, H. Latham, 1 Ƌ and 1 ♀ syntypes of Morellia abyssinica Séguy (MNHN); KENYA: Kakamega, Kakamega Forest, 5,100 feet, 18–22.i.1972, C.F. Huggins, 1 Ƌ, 1 ♀ (BMNH); Ngong, Ngong Forest, Malaise trap, 13–20.iv.1978, P.J. Spangler, 1 Ƌ (BMNH); 5–7 miles into Kenya Forest, near Luchi River, 9–10.ii.1911, T.J. Anderson, 1 Ƌ (BMNH); UGANDA: Segibwa Falls, attracted by human faeces, 29.iii.1935, E.G. Gibbins, 1 ♀ (BMNH); SOUTH AFRICA: Kwa-Zulu-Natal, holotype ♀ of Anthomyia prolectata Walker (BMNH).
Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Cameroon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, South Africa.
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 73-75, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4163.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/259278