Morellia (P.) roppai Pamplona, 1986

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 : 102-103

6. Morellia (P.) roppai Pamplona, 1986 , subgen. comb. nov.

(figs 12–18 in Pamplona 1986b)

Morellia roppai Pamplona, 1986b: 638 . Type locality: BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Sinop, 12o13'S, 55o37'E, road from Cuiabá to Santarém (BR 163), km 500–600. Holotype Ƌ, MNRJ (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Black, with green reflections. Frontal vitta and fronto-orbital plate shining black on upper half and with white pruinosity on lower half; face and parafacial brown with white pruinosity; gena shining brown; antenna brown with grey pruinosity, pedicel yellow, basal half of arista yellow; palpus yellow; mesonotum and abdomen metallic black with green reflections and without pruinosity; legs brown; haltere brownish with paler knob; calypters brown, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque.

Male. Body length: 6.0–7.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–7.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.13–0.15 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and few setulae; 11–15 pairs of frontal setae; postpedicel 1.8–2.0 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 1 seta and a few setulae; arista plumose, with 15–16 cilia, bare apicad, and with some secondary plumes as far as level of 4th to 5th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista; 1 supravibrissal seta, less than half the length of vibrissa, and a few setulae that extend to level of middle of postpedicel; 5 subvibrissal setae followed by 8 genal setae. Palpus expanded at apex.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+1; dorsocentrals 1+2; intra-alars 1+2; presutural 1; prealars 2, the posterior shorter; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with ground-setulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 2 latero-discal, 1 subapical and 1 apical pairs of setae, and lateroventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge with short pile; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 5 long setae; prosternum broad and bare; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 7 setae, without upcurved setae on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron short setulose on anterior half and extensively setulose on posterior half; katepimeron with 2 setulae and short pile; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with dorsal, posterodorsal and posteroventral rows of setae; fore tibia with an anterodorsal row of short and weak setae, many short ventral setae along its whole length, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal and 1 posterior preapical setae, and anterior surface with a ctenidium of golden setulae; fore tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling; mid femur without a tubercle, at apex of anterodorsal to dorsal surfaces bearing about 4 agglutinated short spines that continue as about 3 posterodorsal to posterior setae, with no ventral setae, and with a ventral excavation on apex; mid tibia with 5 strong posterior setae, 2 ventral, 2 anteroventral, 2 anterior, 2 dorsal and 2 posterior apical setae; hind femur with an anteroventral row of setae, strongest on apical third, an anterodorsal row of setae on basal two-thirds, and few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 7 long anteroventral setae on apical half, an anterodorsal row of short setae on basal half and 2 stronger on apical half, many ventral setae on middle third, of which some are long, 6–7 long posteroventral setae, with strong and very short dorsal setulae, 1 dorsal and 1 anterodorsal preapical setae, 1 anteroventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae, and a posterior brush-like ctenidium; hind tarsus with strong setae ventrally. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia except for bm and cup cells and adjacent area; dm-cu sinuous; stem-vein bare before, and with 3 short setulae after, humeral cross-vein on dorsal surface, and on ventral surface with about 1 short setula before humeral cross-vein and bare after humeral crossvein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 setulose from base to beyond r-m on dorsal and ventral surfaces; 1 strong seta on basicosta.

Abdomen. Syntergite 1+2 and tergites 3–5 with a few setae laterally; sternite 1 setulose; posterior margin of sternite 5 deeply concave and with setae.

Terminalia (figs 13–16 in Pamplona 1986b). Ventral surface of cercal plate strongly curved; surstylus with some setae; aedeagal apodeme broadened apically; aedeagus bare; gonopod with one short setula and one long and strong seta on basal half; paramere with many setae apically and laterally.

Female. Body length: 6.0–7.0 mm; wing length: 6.0–7.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: frons reddish-brown; eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by 0.33– 0.34 of head width; fronto-orbital plate with 4 proclinate and 2 reclinate setae; mid tibia with 3 posterior setae and 1 posterodorsal seta on apical third; hind tibia with 4 shorter setae and without the row of short setae on the basal half of anterodorsal surface.

Ovipositor (figs 17–18 in Pamplona 1986b). Tergite 6 shaped as 2 golf-club-like rods; tergite 7 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with spinose setae; tergite 8 as 2 rods, anteriorly enlarged, posteriorly with 2 plates with spines (some very small); sternite 7 as 3 plates with spines; enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 7 and 8; epiproct small, anteriorly deeply incised, with small spines; hypoproct with setae at margin; cercus cylindrical and long.

Material examined. BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Sinop, 12o13'S, 55o37'W, road from Cuiabá to Santarém (BR 163), km 500–600, x.1975, Alvarenga & Roppa , holotype Ƌ, and 2 Ƌ and 2 ♀ paratypes ( MNRJ) .

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Brazil (Mato Grosso).