Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) placida ( Aldrich, 1925 )

Barbosa, Taciano M., Mello-Patiu, Cátia A. & Vasconcelos, Simão D., 2021, Revision of the New World subgenus Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with a reassessment of diagnostic characters, Journal of Natural History 55 (5 - 6), pp. 305-340 : 332-334

Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) placida ( Aldrich, 1925) ( Figure 6 )

Sarcophaga placida Aldrich, 1925: 24 . Type locality: Panama, Canal Zone, Ancon. Ref.: Dodge 1968 (checklist). Cucullomyia placida ; Lopes 1969: 47 (catalogue, new combination); Lopes 1976a: 79 (redescription); Lopes 1976b: 748 (key, redescription); Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) placida ; Pape 1996: 432 (catalogue, new combination); Reeves et al. 2000: 499 (note on biology); Giroux et al. 2010: 773 (morphological phylogeny); Yepes-Gaurisas et al. 2013: 1277 (synantropy); Mello-Patiu 2016: 895 (catalogue); Valverde-Castro et al. 2017: 4 (species list), Buenaventura and Pape 2018: 819 (morphological phylogeny).

Examined material examined. MEXICO – 1 ♂: Oaxaca, 30 .vi .1951, W .G . Downs leg . [donated and compared with type series by W.G. Downs] ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Xalapa, Vera Cruz , 25 .ix .1950, W .G . Downs leg . [donated and compared with type series by W.G. Downs] ( MNRJ) [lost] ; COSTA RICA – 1 ♂: Província de Guanacaste, Santa Rosa National Park , ii .1983, D .H . Janzen & W. Hall Wacks leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Parque Nacional Guanacaste, 14–18 . viii .2010, S . Nihei leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Parque Nacional Guanacaste, 15 .viii .2010, J . Gibson leg . ( MNRJ) [lost].

Diagnosis. Scutellum with a lateral patch of whitish hair-like setulae; vesica longer than wide, without projection at the base, with a narrow and more sclerotised sheath along the distal margin, facing outwards in ventral view ( Figure 6 (e)); juxta composed of broad lobe, as long as paraphallus, and with internal sclerotised band ( Figure 6 (c–e)); median and lateral styli very long, surpassing the juxta in lateral view, both with spines at the apex ( Figure 6 (d,e)).

Redescription. MALE (n = 5). Body length = 11.0–12.0 mm.

Head. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with golden pruinosity; fronto-orbital plate with sparse setulae; parafacial plate with row of setulae close to eye and measuring about 0.48 of distance between the vibrissae; frons about 0.33 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta entirely blackish; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 slightly divergent, 7–8 well-developed frontal setae reaching level of base of pedicel, the uppermost one shorter than the others; reclinate orbital seta present, proclinate orbital setae absent; outer vertical setae 0.5x inner vertical setae and divergent; ocellar setae as developed as upper frontals; ocellar triangle dark brown; postocellar and paravertical setae present; postocular area with golden pruinosity; gena with golden pruinosity at the top and silver at the bottom, black setae in anterior part and whitish setae close to occiput; postgena with silvery pruinosity and numerous whitish setae; face with silvery pruinosity; facial ridge black with silvery pruinosity, with short setulae in lower half; antenna dark brown, total length 0.77 of distance from insertion to vibrissal level, first flagellomere brown with grey pruinosity and approximately 2.0x longer than pedicel; arista long plumose on basal 2/3; palpus blackish.

Thorax. Black with silvery-grey pruinosity, postpronotum and notopleuron with slightly yellowish grey pruinosity; chaetotaxy: acrostichals 1 − 2 + 1, dorsocentrals 4 − 5 poorly differentiated + 4 (posteriormost 2 well developed), intra-alars 2 + 2, supra-alars 2 + 3, postpronotals 3, notopleurals 4; katepisternals 3, almost in a straight line; postalar wall setulose; postalar callus with 2 setae; scutellum with a patch of whitish hair-like setulae on the lateral margin and reaching ventral part, pairs of basal, lateral and subapical setae (lateral pair shorter), a pair of preapical discal setae, and no apical setae; meral setae 7–8; proepisternum bare; prosternum setulose. Wing. Hyaline, with dark brown veins; tegula dark brown; basicosta yellowish; vein R1 bare; vein R4+5 with setulae dorsally on 1/2 of distance to crossvein r-m; cell r4+5 open at wing margin; third costal sector bare ventrally. Legs. Blackish-brown with silvery pruinosity, pulvilli yellowish-brown; mid femur with a row of 3 − 4 median anterior setae, a row of anteroventral setae, 2 preapical posterior setae, 2 median setae and a ctenidium of 10 spiniform setae in posteroventral margin; mid tibia with 1 median anterodorsal, 1 basal and 1 median posterior setae, and 1 median posterodorsal seta; hind femur with a row of anterodorsal setae, a row of anterior setae in the proximal half, 1 apical dorsal and 1 apical posterodorsal seta, and rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae; hind tibia with 1 median anterior seta, 1 basal, 1 median and 1 apical seta in the same position on the anterodorsal and posterodorsal sufarces, and 1 strong ventral seta; hind coxa and trochanter with normal setae.

Abdomen. Dark brown with yellowish grey pruinosity on T1 + 2− T3; T4− T5 reddish brown with yellowish pruinosity, more intense on T5; T1 + 2− T4 with lateral marginal setae; T3− T5 with a set of long setae with wavy apex on ventral surface, more numerous on T5; T4 with a pair of median marginal setae; T5 with a complete row of marginal setae (ca. 12 − 14); ST2 − 4 rectangular with long setae in distal half; ST5 deeply cleft with short base, long and narrow arms, longer setae at base and spiniform setae in distal half ( Figure 6 (a)).

Terminalia . Reddish brown; syntergosternite 7 + 8 with yellowish pruinosity and sparse setulae; epandrium with yellowish pruinosity, a pair of developed dorsal seta, and long and sparse setulae; surstylus short, clavate but with a short projection in the posterior margin and some apical setae ( Figure 6 (b)); cercal prongs narrow and parallel in posterior view, with distal end slightly enlarged and rounded in profile ( Figure 6 (b)); pregonite long with spatulate apex and a median depression on anterior margin ( Figure 6 (c)); postgonite about 0.5x the pregonite, with a long median setae and small setulae ( Figure 6 (c)); basiphallus about 3x paraphallus length, paraphallus with 2 dorsal keels ( Figure 6 (c)); vesica longer than wide, without projection at the base, with a narrow and more sclerotised sheath along the distal margin, facing outwards in ventral view ( Figure 6 (e)); juxta composed of broad lobe, as long as paraphallus, and with internal sclerotised band ( Figure 6 (c,d)); median and lateral styli very long, surpassing the juxta in lateral view, both with spines at the apex ( Figure 6 (d,e)).

Female. Redescribed and illustrated in Lopes (1976a).

Distribution (Nearctic and Neotropical). Mexico (Sonora), Colômbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicarágua and Panamá.

Comments. Titanogrypa (C.) placida closely resembles T. (C.) albuquerquei as both have vesica long and ST 5 with narrow arms ( Figures 2 (a,e), 6(a,e)), but this species is remarkably different from other congeneric species, mainly in having a long vesica without a membranous projection, juxta with broad and long lobes, and styli very long and exposed ( Figures 6 (c–e))

Figures

Figure 2. Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) albuquerquei, holotype male (MNRJ) [lost]. (a) Sternite 5, ventral view. (b) Epandrium, cercus and surstylus, lateral view. (c) Phallus and associated structures, lateral view. (d) Distiphallus, ventral view. (e) Distiphallus, lateral view. Abbreviations: ar = arm; bp = basiphallus; bs = base; ce = cercus; ea = ejaculatory apodeme; ep = epandrium; ga = postgonal apodeme; hp = hypandrium;ju = juxta; ls = lateral stylus; ms = median stylus; ph = phallapodeme;po = postgonite; pr = pregonite; pp = paraphallus; sur = surstylus; stg 7 + 8 = syntergosternite 7 + 8; ve = vesica.

Figure 6. Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) placida, male (MNRJ) [lost]. (a) Sternite 5, ventral view. (b) Syntergosternite 7 + 8, epandrium, cercus and surstylus, lateral view. (c) Phallus and associated structures, lateral view. (d) Distiphallus, ventral view. (e) Distiphallus, lateral view. Abbreviations: ar = arm; bp = basiphallus; bs = base; ce = cercus; ea = ejaculatory apodeme; ep = epandrium; ga = postgonal apodeme; hp = hypandrium; ju = juxta; ls = lateral stylus; ms = median stylus; ph = phallapodeme; po = postgonite; pr = pregonite; pp = paraphallus; sur = surstylus; stg 7 + 8 = syntergosternite 7 + 8; ve = vesica.