Lepidodexia (Harpagopyga) albida Lopes, 1951

De Mello-Patiu, Cátia A., 2015, A remarkable structure in a peculiar species of Sarcophagidae (Diptera): description of the male of Lepidodexia (Harpagopyga) albida Lopes, Zootaxa 4000 (1), pp. 147-150 : 147-148

Lepidodexia (Harpagopyga) albida Lopes, 1951

( Figures 1 –6 )

Harpagopyga albida Lopes, 1951: 287 . Type locality: Brazil, São Paulo, Ilha Seca (currently municipality of Pereira Barreto).

Description. Male ( Figs 1–4 ). Body length 11–14 mm (n = 3). Head. Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial plate, and postocular strip brown with pale silvery gray, slightly yellowish pruinosity. Parafacial plate with few sparse small setulae only on the upper part. Frontal vitta black; frons at vertex 0.30 x head width; frontal row of 7 setae reaching the base of antenna; ocellar setae not differentiated from ocellar setulae; one reclinate and no proclinate orbital setae; outer vertical seta not differentiated from postocular setae; inner vertical seta longer than the longest frontals. Gena with pale gray, slightly yellowish pruinosity, postgena without the yellowish hue, both with few black setae. Antenna brown with pale gray pruinosity, postpedicel about 2.0 x as long as pedicel, arista long plumose in basal 3/4. Palpus and proboscis pale brown. Thorax. Brown with pale silvery gray pruinosity; laterally the pruinosity is yellowish tinged and dorsally it is coppery along the dark stripes. Chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0+0, dorsocentrals 2+3, well-developed, intra-alars 1+1, supraalars 1+2, postpronotals 2, postalars 2, notopleurals 2 (no subprimaries); scutellum with 3 long marginal setae, apicals 0, preapicals 0; meropleurals 7–8; katepisternals 2; prosternum with golden setulae; proepisternum with few small golden setulae; postalar wall bare. Wing slightly infuscate, vein R1 bare, R4+5 setulose along 2/3 of distance to crossvein r-m, costal spine barely differentiated, third costal sector ventrally setulose. Legs brown with gray pruinosity; mid tibia with 1 median anterodorsal, 1 median ventral, 1 basal and 2 median posterior setae; hind tibia with 2 anterior, 1 anteroventral and 2 posterior setae; mid femur with 2 median anterior, no anteroventral, 2 preapical posterior and a row of 4 ventral setae, without a ctenidium; hind femur with a row of anterodorsal setae, some setae and some setulae along anteroventral and posteroventral margins, and 1 preapical anteroventral seta; hind trochanter with normal setulae; hind coxa with small golden setulae on posterior surface. Abdomen. Brown with pale silvery gray pruinosity, dorsal black spots on T2–T5, coppery on posterior margin of T3–T4, and with a longitudinal copper strip in the middle of T2–T5; T1+2 and T3 with golden setae on the ventral and lateral surfaces; T3 with a pair of strong median marginal setae; T4 with a pair of strong median setae and one strong lateral marginal seta; T5 with 3 strong preapical lateral setae and 4 smaller apical setae; ST2–4 covered with pale golden hair-like setae, more numerous and longer on the posterior margin of ST3, longer and densely distributed, accompanied by some black setae, on posterior margin of ST4. Terminalia ( Figs 2–4 ). Light-brown with yellowish pruinosity, cerci and phallus blackish; syntergosternite with a long dorsal projection with short dorsal setae; epandrium with a pair of strong dorsal setae and other short and sparse setae. ST5 V-shaped, base narrow with a median membranous “window”, inner margins of ST5 arms modified into a swollen sheath covered with setae. Cercus very gently curved, cercal prongs nearly parallel and tapering to the apex in posterior view, with several long setae. Surstylus broad with a rounded and setose apex, base with a pilose area and a median posterior projection toward the cercus. Postgonite long and strongly curved, with the typical long median seta. Pregonite long, apically rounded and spatulate. Phallus clearly divided into basiphallus and distiphallus; phallic tube short, of similar length as the basiphallus; juxta right-angled relative to the longitudinal axis of the phallic tube; a large membranous area is present dorsally between the phallic tube and the juxta; vesica small and C-shaped; harpes narrow and elongated; lateral styli broad, elongated, and apically spinous; median stylus short.

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Female ( Figs 5–6 ). Body length 8–9 mm (n = 4). Differs from male as follows: 1 proclinate orbital seta; 2 marginal scutellar setae; meropleurals 4–5; legs with less pruinosity; mid femur with 3 median anterior setae; abdomen with sparse setulae; T6 yellowish brown with pale gray pruinosity, well-developed and visible, significantly exceeding the posterior margin of T 5 in lateral view ( Fig. 5 ), with a row of marginal and a few discal setae; ST 6, 7 and 8 separated from one another; ST 8 darker than the other sternites, well-developed and detached from ST 7 ( Fig. 6 ), with a central concavity and posterior margin projected (see also Lopes 1951: 285, figs 40 and 41).

Remarks. In males of Lepidodexia sensu Pape (1996) , the phallus and cerci in species of most of the 32 subgenera are of a similar shape ( Figs 2–3 ) and subgeneric distinction is based mainly on different combinations of characters of the external morphology, whereas species distinction within each subgenus is based on details of the phallic structures. In females of Harpagopyga , in addition to other external characteristics, the terminalia have a peculiar sternite 8 that is centrally depressed and with a raised and setulose posterior margin, which can be useful to distinguish this subgenus from the others.

Examined material. BRAZIL: 2 females (holotype and paratype), São Paulo, Ilha Seca [S 20° 38’ 17” W 51° 06’ 09”], 18–26.ii.1940, Comissão Inst. Oswaldo Cruz, n o 8239 ( MNRJ); 2 males, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Verde, S 18º 09’ 39.4” W 54º 09’ 02.4”, Malaise 38, 14.vii–30.viii.2012, Lamas, Nihei & equipe col. ( MNRJ); 1 male, idem, 30.vi–14.vii. 2012 ( MZSP); 1 female, Corguinho, Taboco, Reserva Quinta do Sol, S 19º 46’ 45.4” W 55º 14’ 36.2”, Malaise 13, 29.viii–12.ix.2012, Lamas, Nihei & equipe col. ( MNRJ); 1 female, Aquidauana, Reserva Ecológica UEMS, vegetação aberta, floresta estacional decidual, S 20º 25’ 59” W 55º 39’ 20.8”, Malaise 0 8, 11–26.viii.2012, Lamas, Nihei & equipe col. ( MZSP).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Lepidodexia (Harpagopyga) albida Lopes. 1 – 4. Male. 5 – 6. Female. 1. Habitus (specimen 1 from Rio Verde). 2. Terminalia, lateral view (specimen 2 from Rio Verde). 3. Phallus, lateral view (specimen 2 from Rio Verde). 4. Sternite 5 (specimen 2 from Rio Verde). 5. Habitus (specimen from Corguinho). 6. Tip of abdomen, ventral view (paratype). Abbreviations: ce = cercus; ep = epandrium; ha = harpes; jx = juxta; pt = phallic tube; ST = sternite; stg = syntergosternite; T = tergite; ve = vesica.