Morellia (M.) zimini Sychevskaya, 1967

Pamplona, Denise, Nihei, Silvio S., Couri, Márcia S. & Pont, Adrian C., 2016, Taxonomy of Morellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Muscidae): revision of the subgenera Morellia s. str. and Parapyrellia Townsend, Zootaxa 4163 (1), pp. 1-110 : 90-92

42. Morellia (M.) zimini Sychevskaya, 1967

( Figs 168–173 )

Morellia zimini Sychevskaya, 1967: 821 . Type locality: KYRGYZSTAN, Terskey-Alatau , near Kara-Batkak glacier, valley of river Kashka-Tor. Holotype Ƌ, ZIN (but not found there by Pont 2004: 90).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with grey pruinosity. Frontal vitta and upper half of fronto-orbital plate black, lower half of fronto-orbital plate, parafacial and gena black with grey-golden pruinosity; face and antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; mesonotum metallic black with one silver-dusted central vitta along presutural acrostichals; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum silver pruinose; mesonotum light grey dusted behind suture; legs brown; haltere slightly brownish; calypters yellowish, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque; wing without dark markings but with a very faint spot just after humeral cross-vein; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern.

Male. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare but with the usual minute and scattered hairs, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.13 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with many long setulae; about 21 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel about 2.0 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae and many setulae; arista plumose, with 18–19 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 6th to 7th cilia; vibrissa as long as arista; 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and some other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5–6 subvibrissal setae followed by 9–10 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2; dorsocentrals 3+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 3–4 long setae and a few setulae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 7 setae, with 2–3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with long setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron setulose medially and on subalar ridge; katepimeron bare; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad, and a posteroventral row of setae on apical two-thirds becoming shorter basad; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short setae, 3–4 posterodorsal setae, about 5 long posteroventral setae on apical half, many setulae on ventral surface, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and 1 anteroventral preapical setae, and anterior surface with a ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling; mid femur without a tubercle, with about 6–7 spine-like posterodorsal-dorsal setae and some shorter ones at apex, 2 anterior setae on middle third, anterodorsal row of setae on basal half, 8 posteroventral setae on apical half, and 4–6 ventral setae on basal third; mid tibia with an anterodorsal comb-like ctenidium of setae on basal two-thirds, of which the lowermost are much stronger, a posteroventral row of 4–5 strong setae on basal two-thirds, 1 long seta on apical third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterodorsal preapical setae, and 2 posteroventral and 2 ventral apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, 4 strongest at apex, an anterodorsal row of setae, 4 strong posterodorsal setae on middle third, a group of posterior setulae at base and a few long posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with a row of short and subequal anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, the 4 on apical half stronger, an anterodorsal row of short setae of which one at middle is longer, a dorsal row of short but strong setulae, a posterodorsal row of setae, the 2 on basal third stronger and 1 much stronger on apical third, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posteroventral preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior ctenidium; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost straight; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 2 short setulae before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to midway to r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 5–6 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With a lateral tuft of setulae on syntergite 1+2; tergites 2–5 with setae laterally and tergites 4 and 5 with setae on disc and apically; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 concave and bare on basal third ( Fig. 168 ).

Terminalia. Outer margin of cercal plate almost straight; cercal plate ventrally with one spine; surstylus with setae basally and apically ( Figs 169–170 ); basiphallus long; aedeagus bare; gonopod with 2 long and strong setae on basal half and 2 short setae on apical half; paramere with many setae apically and one seta on middle third ( Fig. 171 ).

Female. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0 mm.

Similar to male but differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.43 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with many proclinate setulae and no reclinate setae; about 12 frontal setae; postpedicel about 1.2 times the length of pedicel; fore tibia without the 5 long posteroventral setae on apical half; mid femur with weaker ventral setae; hind tibia with reduced setation: 4–5 posterodorsal setae, with 1 stronger one (calcar) beyond middle; anterodorsal row of sparse setae, with 1 strong seta at middle; 5 fine anteroventral setae; and without posterior or posteroventral setae.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 1 plate with setae; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly curved, posteriorly with 2 plates with small setae; tergite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly enlarged with many setae; sternite 6 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 2 small plates with setulae; sternite 7 as 1 rod, posteriorly with 4 round plates with small spines; sternite 8 as 2 rods, posteriorly with 2 plates with small setulae; epiproct triangular, anteriorly incised with about 6 setae; hypoproct with many setae; cercus cylindrical and long ( Figs 172–173 ).

Material examined. KYRGYZSTAN: Terskey-Alatau , near Kara-Batkak glacier, valley of river Kashka-Tor, 3,300 m, 8.vii.1964, V.I. Sychevskaya, 1 Ƌ paratype ( BMNH) ; the same but 25. i.1964 [sic!], 1 ♀ paratype (BMNH).

Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.

Figures

FIGURES 168 – 173. Morellia (M.) zimini Sychevskaya, male and female paratypes. 168. Sternite 5, male. 169. Cercal plate, male. 170. Left surstylus, male. 171. Phallic complex, lateral view. 172. Ovipositor, dorsal view. 173. Ovipositor and spermathecae, ventral view.