Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) mediterranea Whitmore, 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Whitmore, Daniel
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Sarcophagidae
Sarcophaga
Sarcophaga mediterranea

description: Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) mediterranea sp. nov.
(Figs 18–23)
Type material. Holotype 3: [Italy] LAZIO / Castel Romano / 6 – V – 1996 / Pf. Cerretti leg. // Sarcophaga / (Heteronychia) / penicillata / Villeneuve, 1907 / Dét. R. Richet 2005 // [red label] HOLOTYPE 3/ Sarcophaga / (Heteronychia) / mediterranea sp. n. / det. D. Whitmore 2009 (CNBFVR). Paratypes: 1 3: [Italy, Lombardy, Pavia prov.] Parona, 24.VII.1965, S. Langemark leg. (ZMUC); 1 3: [Italy] Marches, Grottammare, VIII.[19]39, L. Rivosecchi leg. (MZUR); 1 3: Sicily, [Catania prov.] Paternò, Fiume [= river] Simeto, 7.V.1968, S. Langemark leg. (ZMUC); 1 3: Sicily, Agrigento prov., Torre Salsa, 12 m, UTM N37. 22373 E13. 20157, 22.V.2004, P. Cerretti, D. Birtele, G. Nardi, D. Whitmore leg. (CNBFVR); 1 3: Sicily, Palermo prov., Corleone, S side Rocca Busambra, 950 m, UTM 33 S 358012 4189872, 30.VI.2005, D. Whitmore, D. Birtele, P. Cerretti, M. Lopresti leg. (CNBFVR); 1 3: Sicily, Palermo prov., Corleone, in field on flowers of Ammi visnaga, 476m, UTM 33 S 353645 4190330, 27.VI.2005, D. Whitmore, D. Birtele, P. Cerretti, M. Lopresti leg. (CNBFVR); 1 3: Sicily, Palermo prov., Madonie, near Scillato, 474m, N37. 50584 E13. 56681, 21.V.2004, P. Cerretti, D. Birtele, G. Nardi, D. Whitmore leg. (CNBFVR); 2 3: Sicily, Trapani prov., Isola di Favignana, Faro, 2.VII.2005, D. Whitmore, D. Birtele, P. Cerretti, M. Lopresti leg. (CNBFVR); 1 3: Croatia, Dalmatia, Brač island, Bol, 5.VIII.2004, on Foeniculum vulgare, D. Whitmore leg. (CNBFVR).
Additional material examined. Croatia: Adria, Pag, 22.V.1939, 1 3 (USNM). Italy: Sicily, Palermo prov.: Casina, 28.V.1999, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); Corleone, nr. Bivio Ponte Casale, 476m, 30.VI.2005, D. Whitmore et al. leg., 1 3 (CNBFVR) [terminalia dissected for SEM examination and preserved in ZMUC]; Ficuzza, nr. road S- 118, 610m, 23.VI.2005, D. Whitmore et al. leg., 1 3 (CNBFVR); Pizzo Cane, 8.VI.1999, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); same locality, 22.V.2001, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); same locality, 4.VII.2001, D. Povolný leg., 2 3 (MMBC); Pizzo Sant’Angelo, 29.V.2001, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); Valle del Corvo, 26.V.2001, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); same locality, 2.VI.2001, D. Povolný leg., 9 3 (MMBC); same locality, 6.VI.2001, D. Povolný leg., 1 3 (MMBC); same locality, 20–30.V.2003, D. Povolný leg., 26 3 (MMBC). No locality: D. Povolný leg., 2 3 (MMBC) [All specimens in MMBC as “ Heteronychia penicillata det. Povolný”].
Diagnosis (3). A medium-sized to large species of Heteronychia with a wide frons; lower facial margin protruding in lateral view; scutellum with a pair of apical setae; wing vein R1 with several setulae on dorsal surface; mid femur with a subapical posteroventral comb of short, spine-like setae; abdomen with dense grey microtrichosity forming a maculate pattern in posterior view; abdominal tergite 3 without median marginal setae; epandrium red; cercus with a dorsal saddle; surstylus densely covered with microtrichia; distiphallus elongated; juxta with lateral membranous ‘ear-like’ processes and a long, undivided median process with large lateral membranous expansions.
Description (3). Length. 7.0−12.5mm. Colour. Ground colour black, with dense light-grey microtrichosity on parafacials, fronto-orbital plate, thorax and abdomen. Thorax with three longitudinal dark vittae; microtrichosity of abdomen forming typical chequered pattern changing with the incidence of light, lateral black markings on tergites 3−4 reduced to an anterior spot when viewed posteriorly. Protandrial segment with a small rounded patch of microtrichosity near margin; epandrium red, darkened ventrally. Cercus black; surstylus, phallus and gonites dark brown (pregonite light brown at tip). Head (Fig. 18). Arista thickened on approximately basal 2/5–1/2. Postpedicel ca. 1.2–1.5 times as long as pedicel. Frons at its narrowest point about 0.5–0.7 times the width of an eye in dorsal view. Lateral vertical setae only slightly longer and stronger than longest postocular setae. Parafacial at its narrowest point about 0.2–0.4 times eye width. Lower facial margin protruding in lateral view below vibrissa. Gena in profile about 0.3–0.4 times height of eye; postgena entirely covered with white setulae. Occipital setulae white below the first two rows. Thorax. Scutum with several (very weak and short, unarranged) + 1 acrostichal, 4 + 3 dorsocentral, 1–2 posthumeral (outer one weak if present), 1 presutural, 4–5 notopleural, 2 intraalar and 3 supraalar setae. Scutellum with a pair of strong apical setae; discal setae situated far from margin. Legs. Mid femur with a subapical posteroventral comb of short, spine-like setae. Mid tibia with 2–3 anterodorsal, 2 posterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 anteroventral setae. Hind trochanter with a ventral brush of tightly-spaced, spine-like setae. Hind femur with several anteroventral setae in addition to subapical one. Hind tibia with 1–2 anteroventral setae; hind tibia without long, wavy setulae on posteroventral surface. Wing. Costal spine well developed. Vein R1 with several setulae on dorsal surface. Second costal section visibly longer than fourth costal section. Abdomen. Tergite 3 without median marginal setae. Terminalia. Setae on sternite 5 thickened and shortened, marginal ones visibly longer. Protandrial segment with a row of setulae along posterior margin. Epandrium with an elongated ventral margin. Cercus (Fig. 19) with a dorsal saddle and a downcurved, hooked tip. Surstylus (Fig. 19) subtriangular, densely covered with microtrichia. Pregonite (Fig. 20) with sparse setulae on approximately basal half only; tip flattened and weakly sclerotized, slightly curved inwards. Distiphallus (Fig. 21): proximal part of harpes rounded in lateral view, with a flat inner surface; distal part of harpes distinctly inset compared to proximal part; apical process arising from inner part of harpes and directed apically, tapering to a blunt tip; juxta with a long, longitudinally undivided median process gradually curving ventrally, and with large ‘ear-like’ lateral membranous processes; median and lateral processes connected by large membranous expansions (Fig. 22); lateral styli elongated, narrowing apically; vesica (Fig. 23) a small, semicircular sclerite.
Female. Females collected in the same Sicilian localities as male paratypes in 2004–2005 most probably belong to this species (R. Richet, pers. comm. 2010), but characters to separate females of this species from females of S. (H.) thirionae have yet to be found.
Distribution. Croatia, mainland Italy, Sicily.
Etymology. A Latin adjective referring to the Mediterranean distribution of the new species.
Differential diagnosis. Species very similar and probably closely related to S. (H.) thirionae (Lehrer, 1976), also from the Mediterranean area (see Whitmore 2009b), from which it differs only in the shape of the juxta, which is slightly longer and more slender in S. thirionae and lacks the lateral membranous connection between median and lateral processes (Fig. 42).
description: Published as part of Whitmore, Daniel, 2011, New taxonomic and nomenclatural data on Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with description of six new species, pp. 1-57 in Zootaxa 2778 on pages 10-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.201885