Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) gallica, Whitmore, Daniel, Richet, René, Pape, Thomas & Blackith, Ruth M., 2009

Whitmore, Daniel, Richet, René, Pape, Thomas & Blackith, Ruth M., 2009, Redescription of Sarcophaga (Discachaeta) bezziana Böttcher and Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) infixa Böttcher, and description of a new Heteronychia Brauer & Bergenstamm from southern France (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), Zootaxa 1993, pp. 27-40 : 37-38

Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) gallica sp. nov.

Holotype ɗ. FRANCE: Hautes Alpes / Villaron Bas SE St-Crépin / (Vallée de la Durance) / 44°42'18 N 006°36' 83E / 04.VIII.1998, 1000 m / legit C. Lange & J. Ziegler // NRM-DIPT / 0 0 11312 // HOLOTYPE ɗ / Sarcophaga / ( Heteronychia ) / gallica sp. nov. / det. D. Whitmore, R. Richet, / T. Pape & R. Blackith 2008 ( NHRS) [terminalia cut off at level of the epandrium and placed in glycerine in a microvial pinned beneath the rest of the specimen]. Paratypes. 1 ɗ: France, Aveyron / Dept. 12, La Cresse / sandy pasture / by river / coll. R. & R. Blackith / 3.IX.1990 // Sarcophaga / ( Heteronychia ) / infixa Böttcher / det. R. Blackith / 2006 (RBC) [terminalia glued to a slip of card pinned with the specimen]; 1 ɗ: France, Lot (46) / St. Pantaléon / limestone ridge / coll. R. & R. Blackith / 30.V.1993 // Sarcophaga / ( Heteronychia ) / infixa Böttcher / det. R. Blackith / 2006 (RBC) [terminalia stored in glycerine in a small plastic tube pinned with the specimen]; 2 ɗɗ: Réc. R. Richet / 84 Bédoin / VII.1991 ( MNHN); 1 ɗ: Réc. R. Richet / 26 VILLEBOIS- / LES-PINS / VII.1991 ( MNHN) [the terminalia of these three paratypes in MNHN are mounted on a single slide, in Canada balsam]; 1 ɗ: Hérault / Vailhauquès / 18.VI.2003 / M. Martinez leg // Chasse à vue sur / des Paliurus en / fleurs ( INRA) [terminalia stored in glycerine in a small plastic tube pinned with the specimen]; 1 ɗ: Hérault / Vailhauquès / 19.VI.2003 / M. Martinez leg // Chasse à vue sur / des Paliurus en / fleurs ( INRA) [terminalia stored in glycerine in a small glass tube pinned with the specimen].

Diagnosis (male). Parafacial narrow; scutellum usually with a pair of apical setae; mid tibia with one anteroventral seta; hind trochanter with a brush of short spine-like setae; hind femur with a strong subapical seta but no additional anteroventral setae; hind tibia with a row of fine setulae on anteroventral surface; wing vein R1 setose dorsally; abdominal tergite 3 without median marginal setae; protandrial segment with a row of marginal setae and a large spot of grey microtrichosity; epandrium red; cercus with a dorsal inflexion when viewed in profile and with a slight dorsal excavation medially; pregonite with a rounded tip, not widening apically; phallus: apical process of harpes short, with main width oriented in the same plane as transverse plane of distiphallus; juxta between 0.97 and 1.09 times the length of base of distiphallus; juxta with short, thin, parallel-sided appendages at base, variable in length and thickness.

Description (male). Length. 7.5mm [3.8–7.5]. Apart from minor differences, such as the absence of prescutellar acrostichal setae in several specimens (but not in the holotype), S. gallica is identical to S. infixa in the external morphology other than the distiphallus. Distiphallus. Apical process of harpes short, with main width oriented in the same plane as transverse plane of distiphallus ( Fig. 24 ); juxta between 0.97 and 1.09 times the length of base of distiphallus ( Fig. 25 ); juxta in lateral view with a distinct subapical ventral indentation ( Fig. 25 ); juxta in apical view usually with two or three median longitudinal folds ( Fig. 24 ).

Female unknown.

Etymology. A Latin adjective deriving from Gallia (= Gaul), the ancient name of the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and neighbouring areas.

Distribution. Currently known only from southern France. Peris et al. (1998) published line drawings of S. infixa from Spain (Huesca, Valbanera) which were likely based on S. gallica . However, without a direct examination of these specimens, Spain cannot be included with certainty in the known distribution of the species.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) gallica and S. (H.) infixa are undoubtedly very closely related. The differences found in the orientation of the apical process of the harpes, in the length of the juxta and shape of the juxta in apical view (compare Figs 20–22 and 24–25 ) appear to be constant and fully justify the description of a new species.

Discussion of Sarcophaga infixa and S. gallica . The position of these two species within the subgenus Heteronychia is unclear: at a superficial glance they could be considered close to species of the “ haemorrhoa - group” [e.g. S. haemorrhoa Meigen, 1826 , S. haemorrhoides , S. kataphygionis ( Povolný, 1999) ], with which they share the following combination of character states: 1) occipital setae white; 2) wing vein R1 with dorsal setae; 3) epandrium red; 4) juxta long and with a pair of membranous basal appendages. However, they differ by the absence of median marginal setae on tergite 3, the different shape of the cercus and the much smaller juxtal appendages, not widening apically (compare Figs 22 and 25 with Fig. 26 ). An overall similarity exists also with S. plotnikovi Rohdendorf, 1925 from Central Asia and China – which shares with S. infixa and S. gallica the shape of the juxta and juxtal appendages ( Fig. 27 ) and the absence of median marginal setae on tergite 3 but is generally of much larger size, lacks dorsal setae on vein R1 and shows differences in structures of the phallus – and with S. abramovi ( Rohdendorf, 1938) and S. violovitshi ( Rohdendorf & Verves, 1979) , two far-eastern Palaearctic species with a superficially similar phallic structure. These are only tentative affiliations, and a thorough cladistic analysis is needed in order to obtain more solid information on relationships within this complex group of species.

Figures

FIGURES 22 – 27. 22 – 23. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) infixa Böttcher, 1913, male terminalia (scale bars = 0.1 mm). 22. Juxta and lateral styli in lateral view; specimen from Pócsmegyer, Hungary (HNHM). 23. Vesica in ventral view (indicated by arrow); holotype (SMF). 24 – 25. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) gallica sp. nov., male terminalia (scale bars = 0.1 mm). 24. Distiphallus in apical view; paratype from St. Pantaléon, France (RBC); the arrows show the orientation of the apical process of harpes and the shape of the juxtal tip. 25. Distiphallus in lateral view, holotype (NHRS); the arrow shows the strong subapical indentation, the black lines show the beginning and end of the juxta. 26. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) haemorrhoides Böttcher, 1913, distiphallus in lateral view (scale bar = 0.1 mm). 27. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) plotnikovi Rohdendorf, 1925, juxta in lateral view (scale bar = 0.1 mm).

FIGURES 16 – 21. Sarcophaga (Heteronychia) infixa Böttcher, 1913, male (scale bars = 0.1 mm). 16. Abdomen in posterior view; specimen from Obenweiden, Austria (NMW). 17. Sternite 5; specimen from Obenweiden, Austria (NMW). 18. Cercus and surstylus in lateral view; specimen from Mecsek, Hungary (HNHM). 19. Gonites; specimen from Obenweiden, Austria (NMW). 20. Distiphallus in lateral view, holotype (SMF); the black lines show the beginning and end of the juxta. 21. Distiphallus in apical view; specimen from Csévahaszrt borókás, Hungary (HNHM); the arrows show the folds at the tip of the juxta, and the orientation of the apical process of harpes.