Helina lundbladi Tiensuu

Michelsen, Verner, 2023, Macaronesian Muscidae (Diptera). IV. The genus Helina Robineau-Desvoidy, and description of the male of Spilogona maderensis Michelsen, Zootaxa 5293 (2), pp. 251-276 : 258

5. Helina lundbladi Tiensuu

( Figs 5A–D )

Helina lundbladi Tiensuu ; Tiensuu 1938: 7 (Madeira); Hennig 1958: 193ff. (Madeira); Hennig 1978: 5 (Madeira).

Material examined. MADEIRA: [ MZH]. Type material (syntypes 2♁, 2♀): Rabaçal, 1080m, 1♁, 2♀ 17.vii– 4.viii.1935 (O. Lundblad); Caramujo, 1250m, 1♁ 6–14.viii.1935 (O. Lundblad) .

Description. Large, wing length 7.0– 8.5mm (n = 4), sturdy species ( Fig. 5A ). Male: Ground colour mainly dark except ochre yellow to yellow on basal parts of antenna, on palpus and on distal third to half of femora and on all tibiae; thorax and abdomen rather shiny through thin cover of bluish-grey pruinosity; mesonotal dark striping barely visible; abdomen without any pattern except for a narrow dorsal stripe. Male eyes with moderately long and dense pile. Longest aristal branches c. as long as width of postpedicel. Male frons narrowed to half diameter of anterior ocellus. Dorsocentral setae 2 + 4; acrostichal field with 3 presutural and 3 postsutural pairs of setae among the numerous ground setulae; notopleuron without setulae; prealar seta fully as long as anterior notopleural seta; katepisternal setae 1 + 2; meron with fine setulae confined to a patch beneath posterior spiracle; scutellum bare at lower lateral margin, but with some setulae immediately below lateral setae. Vein C extensively setulose dorsally. Fore tibia with 1 p seta; mid tibia with 0 ad and 2–3 p setae; hind femur with 4–5 fine pv setae in basal half; hind tibia with 2–3 fine av and 2 ad setae, without a pd seta in basal third or comb of fine p setae. Abdomen broadly ovoid; sternite V and hypopygium as in Figs 5B–D . Female: Apart from usual sexual differences of the head and abdomen differing from the male by the eye pile shorter and less dense and acrostichal setae confined to 3–4 pairs in front of the suture.

Distribution. Endemic to Madeira.

Taxonomic notes. Hennig (1958, 1978) considered H. lundbladi as most closely related to the Canarian H. obscurisquama . I agree that H. lundbladi belongs to the Helina evecta species group, that also includes the Canarian endemic species H. obscurisquama and H. grancanariae , because they all share a sturdy body, pilose eyes and the presence of setulae on meron and lateral declivities of the scutellum. However, H. lundbladi differs substantially from other species of this species-group by the presence of acrostichal setae, long prealar seta, presence of setulae dorsally on vein C and the absence of setulae along the hind margin of meron and along lower lateral margin of scutellum.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Helina lundbladi Tiensuu. Habitus, female (A); sternite V, male (B); hypopygium, caudal (C) and lateral (D). Same scale for B–D.