Morellia (Morellia) natalensis Paterson 1957
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 natalensis

description: 23. Morellia (M.) natalensis Paterson, 1957
(Figs 83–89)
Morellia natalensis Paterson, 1957: 446. Type locality: SOUTH AFRICA, Kwa-Zulu-Natal, Ingeli Forest, near Harding. Holotype Ƌ, SAIMR.
Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta brown and fronto-orbital plate black; face, parafacial, gena and antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals, postpronotal lobe and notopleuron silver pruinose, katepisternum grey pruinose; legs dark brown; haltere yellow; calypters yellowish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings; abdomen with weak grey pruinosity but last tergite with silver pruinosity.
Male. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.
Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.08 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few setulae; 17 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 1.4–1.9 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and few setulae; arista plumose, with 13–15 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 3th or 4th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half the length of vibrissa, and a few setulae that extend to level of basal fourth or middle of postpedicel; 5 subvibrissal setae followed by 8 genal setae.
Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 0+3; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, strong; 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, 1 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 5 long setae and few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 8 setulae, with 3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron with 1 setula; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and weak setae, 1 anterodorsal, 1dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, with a golden ctenidium on ventral surface and a brush-like golden ctenidium on anteroventral surface, both on apical half; fore tarsus with a golden ctenidium; mid femur with a tubercle at apex of anterodorsal to posterodorsal surfaces bearing about 6 short spines, with about 2 posterodorsal to posterior setae, 1 anterior seta on middle third, and 3 posteroventral setae on apical third; mid tibia with an anterior ctenidium-like row of strong and short setae on basal half, 5 strong and short posterodorsal setae on basal two-thirds, 2 posterior setae on middle third, an excavation on anterior-anterodorsal surfaces at base with a very short ctenidium before it, 1 anterodorsal and 1 dorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 1 posteroventral and 1 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, about 3 weak ventral setae on basal half, 2 posterodorsal preapical setae, a group of posterior setulae at base and a few long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 2 short anteroventral setae on middle third, 5 strong and short setae on basal two-thirds, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a posterodorsal row of 5 equidistant setae, 4 weak posteroventral setae on middle third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae, and 1 anteroventral, 1 posterior and 1 posteroventral apical setae; [specimen without hind tarsus]. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu sinuous; stemvein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 4 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 r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 5–6 strong setae on basicosta.
Abdomen. With lateral tufts of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 4 and 5 with few setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 deeply concave and with many setae (Fig. 83).
Terminalia. Cercal plate ventrally with 2 strong spines; surstylus with 4 setae on apical half and many spicules apically (Figs 84–86); aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; basiphallus very long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 5 long and strong setae on basal third; paramere with some small setulae apically (Fig. 87).
Female. Body length: 6.0 mm; wing length: 6.0 mm.
Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.33–0.36 of head width; 12–14 frontal setae; fronto-orbital plate with 5 proclinate and 1 reclinate setae; mid femur without a tubercle and its setae; mid tibia without a ctenidium or excavation; hind tarsus without modifications in shape.
Ovipositor: Only part of the ovipositor is preserved. Tergite 6 as 2 golf-club-shaped rods; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged; sternite 6 as 1 small rod, posteriorly with 3 groups of small setulae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, anteriorly enlarged (Fig. 88–89).
Material examined. SOUTH AFRICA: Kwa-Zulu Natal, Ingeli Forest, 16.ii.1954, Paterson, 1 Ƌ paratype (BMNH); Kwa-Zulu Natal, Harding District, Impetyeni Forest, iii.1951, Paterson, 1 ♀ paratype and 1 ♀ (BMNH).
Distribution. AFROTROPICAL: 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 54-56, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4163.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/259278