Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes, 1946

Souza, Carina Mara De, Pape, Thomas & Thyssen, Patricia Jacqueline, 2020, Oxysarcodexia Townsend, 1917 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) - a centennial conspectus, Zootaxa 4841 (1), pp. 1-126 : 76-77

Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes, 1946

( Figs 185–187 )

Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes, 1946b: 129 ; Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara , Gávea. Holotype male (not examined) and 15 male paratypes in MNRJ (one examined).

Diagnosis. Male. Length 6.0–7.0 mm. Postocular plate with pale golden pollinosity. Ocellar bristles well developed. Thorax and abdomen with pale golden pollinosity, T5 partly with golden pollinosity. Two well-differentiated posterior and 1–3 smaller anterior post-sutural dorsocentrals. Apical scutellar bristles absent. Legs brownish. T3 with 1 pair of lateral marginal bristles, T4 with 1 pair of median marginal and 2 pairs of lateral marginal bristles. ST5 with deep median cleft with margins almost parallel and with bristles on distal half of arms. Cercus straight in lateral view, with pointed obliquely cut apex. Cercus with bristles ventrally over full length. Cerci with distal third narrower than middle part in posterior view; diverging. Pregonite with expanded base and sudden narrowing at apex; unicolorous. Postgonite with expanded base, gradually narrowing to apex; unicolorous. Distiphallus with ventroapical concavity with serrated margin, rounded apex, sinuous dorsal outline and ventroapical projections. Vesica symmetrical, with rounded median projection of main branch; distal lobes well developed, with filaments, tapering, partially membranous, with spines on both dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Remarks. See under O. bakeri . The female of O. modesta has T7 partially divided into two plates ( Tibana & Mello 1985).

Distribution. NEOTROPICAL. Brazil (Amapá *, Bahia *, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Pará, Pernambuco, São Paulo), Peru.

Biology. Under laboratory conditions, O. modesta was reared on agar and powdered milk, developing from first instar to adult in 14–17 days ( Lopes 1973b). Adults have been collected from human feces, pig and mouse carcasses, chicken viscera and liver, rotten cow liver, cow lung, fish, sardine, rotten banana mixed with brown sugar, and rotten S. comosa ( Lopes 1973b; Linhares 1981; Dias et al. 1984c; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Oliveira et al. 2002; Barbosa et al. 2009; Oliveira & Vasconcelos 2010; Rosa et al. 2011; Vasconcelos et al. 2013; Barbosa et al. 2015; Sousa et al. 2015, 2016; Barbosa et al. 2017). Linhares (1981) observed no differences in attractiveness of human feces, chicken viscera and mouse carcasses for O. modesta . This author also observed a lower occurrence in urban areas as opposed to rural and forest areas, indicating a low degree of anthropophily. Sunlight, as opposed to shaded areas, is also mentioned by Linhares (1981) as a preference of this species. This species was collected from chicken liver and was classified as a necrophagous/omnivorous species by Oliveira & Vasconcelos (2010). Adults have also been collected in a zoological garden in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil ( Oliveira et al. 2002), in the Brazilian Cerrado ( Rosa et al. 2011; Sousa et al. 2016), in a coastline region ( Barbosa et al. 2015, 2017), and in urban, rural and forest environments ( Linhares 1981; Dias et al. 1984c; Mendes & Linhares 1993; Vasconcelos & Araujo 2012; Vasconcelos et al. 2013). In the Brazilian state of Maranhão, O. modesta was classified as accidental and rare ( Sousa et al. 2015). It is also considered an early visitor in forensic entomology ( Vasconcelos et al. 2013), and showed a strong preference for preserved beaches according to Barbosa et al. (2017).

Type material examined. Paratype ♂: [ Brazil] INS.OSW.CRUZ N.10.3.38 / Rio de Janeiro H. Souza Lopes / 2. 932 Jacarepagua [typed on back of label] / Sarcophaga M. H. S. LOPES-DET -93 / Paratype / Oxysarcodexia modesta [no italics] sp.n. Lopes-det. 1944 [ MNRJ] .

Other material examined. [ ♂] Quinta da Bôa Vista, São Cristóvão, Rio , Brasil / R. Tibana 21. VI.73 / NRM-DIPT 0014319 [ NRM] // [♂] Rio das Ostras, E. do Rio, Brasil / 15-I-96, E. S. Conrado col. / Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes Det. R. Tibana [ MNRJ] // [♂] Brasil: Amapá, Mazagão, v–vi 1993 J. M. D’Almeida col [ MNRJ] // [♂] ANGRA dos REIS E. do RIO, BRASIL / H. S. LOPES 14.V.72 / Oxysarc. ♂ modesta [no italics] Lop. Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] ENCRUZILHADA BAHIA BRASIL / ALVARENGA & ROPPA XI-1974 / Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes Det. R.Tibana [ MNRJ] .

Figures

FIGURES 182–191. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 182–184. Oxysarcodexia mitifica Lopes (Colombia, Antioquia, CE-TdeA). 182. Habitus, lateral view. 183. Terminalia, lateral view. 184. Terminalia, posterior view. 185–187. Oxysarcodexia modesta Lopes (Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, NMR). 185. Habitus, lateral view. 186. Terminalia, lateral view. 187. Terminalia, posterior view. 188–191. Oxysarcodexia molitor (Curran & Walley), holotype (Guyana, Kaieteur, AMNH). 188. Head and thorax, lateral view. 189. Terminalia (without cerci), lateral view. 190. Cerci, posterolateral view. 191. Distiphallus, postgonites and pregonites, posterior view. Figs 188–191 by D. Grimaldi (AMNH).