Helina xena Malloch, 1934

Patitucci, Luciano Damián, Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo & Mariluis, Juan Carlos, 2016, Taxonomic review of the species of Helina R. - D. (Diptera: Muscidae) from Andean-Patagonian forests, Zootaxa 4150 (3), pp. 281-313 : 308-310

Helina xena Malloch, 1934

( Figs. 14 , 15 F)

For a complete list of references, see the catalog by Carvalho et al. (2005).

Information subsequent to this catalog: Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2009 (endemism). Löwerberg-Neto et al. 2011 (biogeography); Löwerberg-Neto & Carvalho 2013 (checklist).

Redescription. Male ( Fig. 14 A). Length. Body: 6.31 mm, wing: 5.94 mm.

Head ( Fig. 14 B). Black with silver pollinosity. Holoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.16 mm. 4–5 pairs of frontal setae. Eye bare. Lunule brown; fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, gena, postgena, and occiput black with silver pollinosity. Antenna black; arista with hairs shorter than its basal diameter. Palpus black.

Thorax ( Fig. 14 C). Scutum black with four brownish-grey pollinose vittae; scutellum black with brownishgrey pollinosity; anepisternum, anepimeron, katepimeron, katepisternum, proepisternum, proepimeron and meron black with grey pollinosity; anterior spiracle black and posterior spiracle brown. Chaetotaxy: acrostichal setae short, the seta before the scutellum longer than previous seta; dorsocentral setae 2+3; humeral setae 2; notopleural setae 2, of similar size. Prealar seta strong, shorter than one fourth of the length of the anterior supra-alar postsutural seta. Scutellum with strong and short basal and subapical setae. Anepisternum with a series of 6–8 strong setae.

Wing. Yellowish-brown; costal spine longer than the costal bristles; the cross-veins with cloud; the cross-vein dm-cu straight, an extra little cross-vein close to cross-vein r-m; vein R 4+5 and vein M straight; cross vein dm-cu in basal half of cell r4+5. Both calypters hyaline with yellow margins.

Legs. Coxa and trochanter black; fore femur black, yellow at base; mid and hind femora yellow, with black on apical third; tibiae yellow, tarsi black. Fore femur with rows of dorsal, posterodorsal, and posteroventral setae; fore tibia with one posterior seta, 4 preapical setae. Mid femur with 6–7 setae in the basal middle on ventral surface, a row of anterodorsal seta, and 3–4 preapical setae on dorsal to posterior surface; mid tibia with 2 posterior setae and 4 apical setae (anterodorsal, posteroventral, ventral, and anteroventral). Hind femur with anterodorsal row, anteroventral row of setae and 3–4 setae in the apical middle of posteroventral surface; hind tibia with 2–3 anteroventral setae, and one anterodorsal, calcar absent. Claws and pulvilli of similar size in all three legs.

Abdomen ( Fig. 14 D). Black with brown pollinosity, two dark brown spots on tergite 3 and 4. Sternite 5 longer than wide, setulose; posterior margin membranous ( Fig. 14 E).

Terminalia . Cercal plate with a similar length and width, with only a distal incision; and with four protuberances at apex: inner protuberance short and rounded, outer protuberance lobed shape, and straight in lateral view; epandrium with lateral projection ( Figs. 14 F–G). Surstylus broad and curving forwards distally, with some setae on inner surface ( Figs. 14 F–G). Aedeagus with aedeagal apodeme straight and strongly sclerotized; epiphalus slightly sclerotized, paramere slightly bent downward with setula; gonopod with short setulae; and distiphallus campanullate, slightly sclerotized ( Fig. 14 H).

Female. Length. Body: 4.95 mm, wing: 5.15 mm.

Differs from male as follows: Head: dichoptic, the shortest distance between eyes is 0.69 mm; fronto-orbital plate setulose with 2 reclinate orbital setae. Parafrontal plate setulose. Legs. Mid femur with 3–4 strong of setae in the basal third on ventral surface.

Terminalia . Tergite 8 with 2 parallel sclerotized plates with setulae on distal margin; epiproct with proximal margin straight, and a row of setula on distal margin, cercus digitiform with long setulae ( Fig. 14 I). Hypoproct rounded, sclerotized, and setulose ( Fig. 14 J).

Material examined. ARGENTINA: Chubut: 1 female, PN Los Alerces, Cabaña La Cascada, -42.888499, - 71.592376, II-2013, Patitucci leg. ( MACN) ; 1 male, PN Los Alerces, Puerto Limonao, Lago Futalaufquen, - 42.862656, -71.624142, II-1959, Trelles leg. (MACN).

Distribution ( Fig. 15 F). ARGENTINA: Chubut (new record), Río Negro. CHILE: Región de la Araucanía, Región de los Lagos.

Remarks. Malloch (1934) described the species from male and female specimens from several locations from Argentina and Chile. The male specimen studied here has an extra little cross-vein close to cross-vein r-m; postocular setae, inner vertical setae, and outer vertical setae damaged.

Biology. Unknown. The specimen collected by the authors was captured with a Malaise trap.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Helina xena Malloch. A – H. Male: A. Lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm). B. Head, frontal view. C. Thorax, dorsal view. D. Abdomen, dorsal view (scale bars: 0.5 mm). E. Sternite 5 (scale bar: 0.2 mm). F. Cercal plate, posterior view. G. Cercal plate and surstylus, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). H. Phallic complex, lateral view (scale bar: 0.1 mm). I – J. Female, apical portion of ovipositor: I. Dorsal view. J. Ventral view (scalebar: 0.5 mm). (Abbreviations: aed apod, aedeagal apodeme; distiph, distiphallus; e lat prot, epandrium lateral projection; epiph, epiphallus; epiprct, epiproct; gon, gonopodo; hyprct, hypoproct; i protub, inner protuberance; o protub, outer protuberance; par, paramere; st 8, sternite 8; tg 8, tergite 8.)

FIGURE 15. Geographical distribution. A. Helina neosimplex Snyder. B. Helina nigrimana (Macquart). C. Helina ouina sp. nov. D. Helina rufoapicata Malloch. E. Helina viola Malloch. G. Helina xena Malloch. (Green area: Andean-Patagonian forests; orange circle: new records; blue triangle: previous distribution.)