Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes, 1968

Mulieri, Pablo Ricardo & Mello-Patiu, Cátia Antunes, 2013, Revision of the Neotropical genus Malacophagomyia (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) with description of a new species, Zootaxa 3736 (4), pp. 368-378 : 374-376

Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes, 1968

( Figs 2, 5 , 8–9 , 17–21 )

Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes, 1968: 303 (male, distribution, figs 1–5; Brazil, Paraiba, João Pessoa, Chaves Farm); Pape, 1996: 249 (catalog).

Male ( Fig. 8 ). Body length = 6.3–6.5 mm (n = 3).

Character states are the same as in the previous description except as follows.

Head. Head length at antennal base 1.08 head length at vibrissal level. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plate with silvery microtomentum ( Fig. 2 ); parafacial plate with row of setulae on upper half; frontal vitta dark brown; front at its narrowest point 0.22 head width; 6–7 frontal setae, outer vertical setae 0.3X the inner verticals and divergent; genal groove and genal dilation with silvery microtomentum; 8–9 subvibrissal setae; antenna brown, postpedicel with grayish microtomentum, length 0.28 head height; palpus brown with black setae on apical half.

Thorax. Scutellum with intermediate stripes with silvery-gray microtomentum; postpronotal lobe, notopleuron and anepisternum, katepisternum and anepimeron with spots of silvery-gray microtomentum. Chaetotaxy: dorsocentrals 3–4 (not well differentiated) + 4 (spaced to four, the two anterior setae smaller than the posteriors), intra-alars 2+2, supra-alars 1+3 (the middle pair stronger). Wing hyaline, tegula dark brown, whitish basicosta and brown veins, R1 basally setulose on 1/2 of its length, R4+5 setulose in proximal 0.6 of distance to crossvein r-m. Legs with middle femur with 2–3 anterior and 2–4 anteroventral setae; middle tibia with 1–2 anterdorsal setae; hind femur with rows of anterodorsal, anterior and anteroventral setae; hind tibia with 2 anterodorsal setae well differentiated, 1 anteroventral, and 2 posterodorsal setae; middle and hind femora somewhat villous basally; tarsi brown.

Abdomen. Reddish-brown; sternites exposed with silvery microtomentum; T1+2–T5 with latero-ventral and dorsal spots with silvery microtomentum; ST2–ST3 (and adjacent areas of tergites) with lateral villous setae; ST4 with a pair or tuft of black spine-like setae on posterior corners, bare medially; ST5 V-shaped, reddish-brown, arms of ST5with tufts of strong black spine-like setae on its inner surface, and two long posterior lobes ( Fig. 5 ).

Genitalia. Syntergosternite 7+8 red, with a median spot of silver-yellowish microtomentum, having a marginal row of weak setae and some smaller black hair-like setae basally; epandrium reddish-orange with black hair-like setae; cerci long and narrowed in dorsal view, villous only on upper half margins, fused along its entire length with vestigial cercal prong ( Fig. 19 ); cerci straight in profile ( Fig. 20 ); surstyli small with rounded tip and villous setae ( Fig. 20 ); pregonite strongly curved backward and pointed ( Fig. 17 ); postgonite with one strong seta ( Fig. 18 ); phallus without vesica; juxta (or apical plate) well developed and sclerotized, curved upward at the anterior margin (lateral view), juxta bifid in ventral (or apical) view ( Fig. 21 ); lateral styli well developed and complex, composed of two arms or processes, a lateral (outer) membranous arm, and a well-sclerotized short inner arm ( Fig. 21 ); median stylus greatly elongated and curved (lateral view), emerging dorsally to harpes; harpes well differentiated, sclerotized and pointed ( Fig. 21 ).

Female. Unknown.

Type material examined. Male holotype ( Fig. 9 ) (MNRJ), “ Holotype [printed on red paper with black frame]” // “João Pessoa / Paraiba Br. [ Brazil] / Chaves Farm. / Rokuro Kano / 17-II-68 [handwritten on white paper]” // “MNRJ [printed] / 2192 [handwritten on white paper with black frame]”. The holotype is in good condition, genitalia spread and totally exposed. Male paratype (MNRJ),“João Pessoa / Paraiba Br. [ Brazil] / Chaves Farm. / Rokuro Kano / 17-II-68 [handwritten on white paper]” // “ Paratype [printed on green paper with black frame]” // “N. [printed] 11.430 [handwritten] / Diptera / Inst. Oswaldo Cruz [printed on white paper]” The paratype has its abdomen partly extracted, structures of genitalia are dissected and cleared on a slide, otherwise in good condition. One slide, with abdominal ST3–5, pieces of abdominal tergites, cerci, and surstyli, phallus, pregonite, and postgonite belonging to the paratype, “N. [printed] 11.430 cx 192 [handwritten] / Diptera / Inst. Oswaldo Cruz [printed]” // “nr. 11.430 / cx. 192”.

Other material examined. Brazil: 1 male, from Pommacea sp., Pacatuba, Ceará, 350 m, 23-VII-1983, C.D. Freitas & H.C. Hime (MNRJ).

Distribution. Brazil (Ceará, Paraiba).

Remarks. This species is externally similar to M. filamenta but differs in male genital morphology. Particularly, the shape of cerci, pregonite, and ST5 provide good diagnostic characters to separate these species. The rearing record of M. kesselringi obtained from Pomacea sp. is the first biological data obtained for this species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Malacophagomyia species, males. 1 – 3. Head, fronto-lateral view. 1. Malacophagomyia filamenta (Dodge). 2. Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes. 3. Malacophagomyia rivadavia n. sp., holotype. 4 – 6. Sternite 5. 4. Malacophagomyia filamenta (Dodge). 5. Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes. 6. Malacophagomyia rivadavia n. sp., holotype (MACN). Abbreviations: Lb, lobes of sternite 5; ST 4, sternite 4 ST 5, setae on inner surface of arms of sternite 5. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 9. 7. Malacophagomyia filamenta (Dodge), male habitus. 8 – 9. Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes. 8. Male habitus, holotype (MNRJ). 9. Original labels of the holotype. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 21. Malacophagomyia kesselringi Kano & Lopes, male genitalia. 17. Pregonite, left lateral view. 18. Postgonite, left lateral view. 19. Cerci, posterior view. 20. Cercus and surstylus, left lateral view. 21. Phallus, left lateral view. Abbreviations: Bph, basiphallus; Dph, distiphallus; H, harpes; iaLs, inner arm of lateral stylus; J, juxta; Ms, median stylus; oaLs, outer arm of lateral stylus. Scale bars 0.1 mm.