Hoplocheiloma totliana Gmelin, 2850

Marshall, S. A., 2011, A review of the genus Hoplocheiloma Cresson (Diptera: Micropezidae), Zootaxa 2806 (1), pp. 1-23 : 19-22

Hoplocheiloma totliana Gmelin

Figs. 31–35

Hoplocheiloma totliana Gmelin, 1790: 2850 . nom. nov. for Musca fasciata Fabricius 1775 (preoccupied Meuller 1764; see Thompson and Pont 1993).

Hoplocheiloma fabricii Steyskal, 1968: 9 ; 1775. nom. nov. for Musca fasciata Fabricius 1775 . New synonym.

Hoplocheiloma fasciata (Fabricius) , Hennig 1935: 55 (key, diagnosis)

Body length 7–10mm. Wing length 7–8mm. General colour: Most of head and thorax orange; face yellowish white; proepisternum with a transverse black band just above the long, golden ventral proepisternal setae. Abdominal tergite 1 brown, other tergites darker; depression between fused tergites 1 and 2 black.

Head: Frons uniformly orange except dark brown or black ocellar triangle, frontal vitta broad, dull (microsetulose) and slightly tapered anteriorly; orbital strips subshining; two small frontal setae, a larger orbital and large inner vertical and outer vertical setae. Clypeus uniformly pale orange laterally, middle part with two stout setae and a few small setulae, lateral portions of clypeus covered with fine white setulae. Lunule with a few scattered black setulae, face weakly sclerotized and pale except for dark lower margin (often forming a distinct narrow black transverse band), densely microsetulose. Palpi small, half as long as clypeus; almost parallel-sided, with evenly spaced small black setae. Mentum strongly setose.

Thorax: Pronotum orange except for two distinct black marks along anterior margin. Mesonotum orange with an indistinct presutural silvery transverse band and two indistinct silvery postsutural spots. Both sexes with a uniform row of small acrostichal and dorsocentral setae, 1–3 anterior dorsocentral setae usually enlarged, longer than other setae but not conspicuously thickened. Notopleuron with a single large posterior seta and a smaller anterior seta. One large prescutellar dorsal seta only. Main vertical row of katepisternal setae black or dark brown with a weaker anterior row of golden setae, ventral apex of katepisternum with two long thick setae and one or more long thin seta.

Legs: Fore coxa densely covered with white microsetulae on anterior surface, bare and reddish brown on most of posterior surface. Fore femur and tibia dark brown to black, tibia with dense white microsetulae ventrally in distal third, tarsomere one and basal half of tarsomere two of foreleg white, other fore tarsomeres black; mid and hind femora mostly yellowish brown (basal half varies from brown to yellowish brown) with a narrow distal dark preapical band and a dark apex; mid and hind tibiae brown, basal two thirds of first tarsomere of mid and hind legs white, tarsomeres otherwise black.

Wing with a broad discal band with a straight or convex distal edge and similar narrow, parallel-sided preapical and stigmatal bands (reaching anterior margin of wing and usually crossing entire wing although weaker posteriorly) and a very small infuscated apical area; otherwise clear. R 2+3 ending at or very slightly beyond plane of dm-cu.

Abdomen: Tergite one pale brown, other tergites darker, tergites 1 and 2 fused but delineated by a band of silvery microsetulae. Tergite 2 weakly excavated along posterior margin, with dark posterolateral corners (dark pigment extending on to intersegmental membrane). Tergite three darker than other tergites, blue black at least basomedially, and normally elevated posteriorly and projecting over tergite 4.

Tergite 1 with long pale lateral and dorsolateral setae, other tergites with small black setulae only.

Female abdomen: Pleuron darkly pigmented on dorsal part of segments 2–4, dark area progressively more extensive posteriorly such that the pale area of segments 2–6 appears circular with the posterior margin of the sphere closed by a dark segment 6 and the anterior portion mostly open ( Fig. 35 ). Tergite 7 with a prominent central pale and depressed area. Oviscape shining except for basal silvery white densely microsetulose area broadly encircling base of oviscape ( Fig. 34 ). Single spermatheca with a very elongate body on a very short base separated from thick duct by a spherical swelling. Paired spermathecae cylindrical with bodies slightly tapered and distinctly invaginated at apex; bases very elongate, thick, abruptly narrowed at junction with duct; duct thick, with an apical swelling between duct and constricted part of spermathecal base ( Fig. 32 ).

Male abdomen: Pleuron with dark areas of segment 5 extending continuously to genital fork, dark areas of segments 2 and 3 narrow, extending down from tergites and separated by wide pale areas (this pattern hard to discern on most pinned specimens). Pleuron without any conspicuous weakened areas or swellings (ie, bulging dome or pleural sac of segment two absent). Epandrium yellow, contrasting with black pregenital segments. Genital fork long and narrow, arms converging distally with entire inner surface covered with short, stout spines; basal part of fork medially carinate, carina continuous with trough between fused basal halves of arms. Hypandrial arms fused anteriorly to form a short bridge. Distiphallus with basal part relatively short and broad, distinctly shorter than distal part; distal part with a broad, parallel-sided transparent shell abruptly ending just before narrow, pointed apex ( Fig. 31 ).

Type material. The Fabricius type (type locality “ West Indies ) was not examined. Hennig’s (1935) concept of this species seems unproblematic and was followed here .

Other material examined. CUBA: Santiago de Cuba, Botanical Gardens, xi.2005, S.A. Marshall (2 ♀, in 95% alcohol, DEBU); Gran Piedra, pan traps behind biological station, 23.xi.2005, S.A. Marshall (1 ♂, DEBU); nr. Victoria de las Tunas, 18.vi.1950, Berg and Link (1 ♀, USNM). BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Guana Island, 0–80m, 13–26.vii.1986, S.A. Miller and M.G. Pogue (1 ♀, USNM). JAMAICA: (two ♂, no further data, USNM); Try, Duncans, 23.viii.1966, Howden and Becker (one ♀, CNCI). PUERTO RICO: on human manure, August Busk (3 ♂, 2 ♀, USNM); San Juan, 10.vii, 19.x and 26.vi.1953, B.B. Sugarman (4 ♂, USNM); finca Ferguson, nr Mt. El Yunque, 4.iv.1972, L. Knutson (1 ♂, USNM). SABA: Booby Hill, 22.iii.1968, R.S. Miller (1 ♀, MTEC). SAINT BARTHELEMY: 29.vii.1981, R.S. Miller (1 ♂, MTEC). SAINT MARTIN: Paradise Peak, 11.ii.1978, S.A. Marshall (one ♀ without an abdomen, CNCI, labeled “ H. fabricii det Albuquerque” and “female 14”. This is presumably the specimen used to illustrate H. fabricii female terminalia in Albuquerque (1986), returned to CNC without an abdomen). U. S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: Saint Thomas. 25.xi.1966, Tallia-Muncie (1 ♂, USNM); intercepted on plane from St. Kitts, 11.x.1962 (1 ♂, USNM); Frenchman Bay Estate, 01 and 25.v.1978, 09.ix.1978, 10 and 12.x.1978, M. Ivie (3 ♀, MTEC); College of the V.I., M. Ivie (1 ♀, MTEC), Buck Island Reef N.M., FIT, 340’, Z. Hillis (1 ♀, MTEC). TORTOLA: 18–19.viii.1982, R.S. Miller (1 ♀, MTEC). SAINT CROIX: 9.iv.1995, E. McCord, 75-6587 (1 ♀, USNM). UNITED STATES: Florida. Collier Co., Seminole State Park, 28.xii.1978, S.A. Marshall (1 ♂, DEBU); Miami via San Juan, PR and Camaguey, Cuba, ex plane, 14.ii.1946 (1 ♂, USNM); Royal Palm Park, 22.iv.1930, 28.iv.1930, A.L. Melander (1 ♀, 1 ♂ USNM);

Comments. Hoplocheiloma totliana is apparently widespread in the Caribbean basin, probably secondarily so because of synanthropic habits (it is associated with human dung and has twice been intercepted in airplanes). The orange body combined with the distinctive wing venation (a fat discal band between similar narrow stigmatal and preapical bands) render it distinctive despite considerable variation in size and thoracic chaetotaxy. Hennig (1935) recorded this species (as H. fasciata ) from Florida, Cuba, Jamaica and Brazil, with the latter record based on one specimen from the Winthem collection (Vienna). I have been unable to relocate that specimen and all recent records of H. totliana are Caribbean.

Figures

FIGURES 31–35. Hoplocheiloma totliana (Gmelin). 31, male terminalia; 32, spermathecae and associated structures; 33, live female dorsal, Cuba; 34, female abdominal apex to show dorsum of oviscape; 35, live female left lateral, Cuba.