Oxysarcodexia ventricosa ( Wulp, 1895 )

Souza, Carina Mara De, Pape, Thomas & Thyssen, Patricia Jacqueline, 2020, Oxysarcodexia Townsend, 1917 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) - a centennial conspectus, Zootaxa 4841 (1), pp. 1-126 : 105-107

Oxysarcodexia ventricosa ( Wulp, 1895)

( Figs 271–273 )

Sarcophaga ventricosa Wulp, 1895: 268 , 274; Mexico, Guerrero, Chilpancingo ; Mexico, Tabasco, Teapa. Two male syntypes in NHMUK (not examined) .

Sarcophaga tenuiventris Wulp, 1895: 268 , 282; Mexico, Guerrero, Amula; Mexico, Tabasco, Teapa. Two male and two female syntypes, the males in NHMUK (not examined), the females not located. [Described from two males and two females, the latter with a question mark ( Wulp 1895: 282); Aldrich (1930: 34) examined “two males”; also, by noting that this nominal taxon is “The same as ventricosa Van der Wulp (p. 274) (assidua Aldrich, not Walker)”, we consider Aldrich (1930: 34) to have acted as First Reviser and have fixed the precedence as followed here.]

Oxysarcodexia cuernavaca Dodge, 1966: 685 , syn. n.; Mexico, Morelos, Cuernavaca. Holotype male in USNM (not examined).

Diagnosis. Male. Length 5.0–8.0 mm. Postocular plate with silvery pollinosity. Ocellar bristles weakly developed. Thorax and abdomen with golden pollinosity, more evident laterally, T5 with golden pollinosity. Two welldifferentiated posterior and 1–3 smaller anterior post-sutural dorsocentrals. Apical scutellar bristles absent. Legs yellowish. T3 with 1−3 pairs 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 pilosity and bristles at apex of arms. Cercus straight in lateral view, with expanded obliquely cut apex. Cercus with bristles ventrally only in distal third. Cercus with distal third broader than middle part in posterior view. Cerci diverging in posterior view, each cercus with a distinct constriction at middle. Pregonite with expanded base, gradually narrowing to apex, which is darker than base. Postgonite like pregonite, except unicolorous. Distiphallus with ventroapical concavity with serrated margin, conical apex and straight dorsal outline. Vesica symmetrical, with rounded median projection of main branch; distal lobes reduced, with filaments, tapering, sclerotized, with spines on both dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Remarks. See under O. admixta and O. berlai . Dodge (1965) reported the occurrence of specimens of O. ventricosa with a single bristle on vein R 1 of both wings, although he pointed out that this is an extremely rare condition. The female of O. ventricosa has an undivided T7 ( Tibana & Mello 1985). The first larval instar was described by Knipling (1936) and the puparium by Wharton & Moon (1979). The larvae studied by Knipling (1936) were obtained from just one female; they were reared on a decaying hamburger and completed their development from larva to adult in 14 days. Oxysarcodexia ventricosa was intercepted in the port of Shanghai in a cargo container from the Americas ( Deng et al. 2011), but its possible establishment in China has not been investigated. Herein, we propose Oxysarcodexia cuernavaca Dodge, 1966 as a junior synonym of O. ventricosa , syn. n. based on comparison of the original illustrations and description by Dodge (1966) with the specimens of O. ventricosa studied here.

Distribution. NEARCTIC. Bermuda, Canada (Ontario, Quebec), Mexico (Distrito Federal, Jalisco, Morelos, San Luis Potosí), USA (Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia). NEOTROPICAL. Argentina (Córdoba), Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico (Chiapas, Guerrero, Tabasco, Veracruz, Yucatán).

Biology. This species has been reared mainly on bovine dung ( Knipling 1936; Sanders & Dobson 1966; Blume 1986). Its larvae have been reared on decomposing hamburger meat ( Knipling 1936), taking 14 days to complete development from larva to adult, and from bovine manure ( Sanders & Dobson 1966), taking 15–25 days to complete development to adults. Larvae of O. ventricosa have also been recorded as feeding on eggs and larvae of Oxybelus Latreille wasps ( Hymenoptera : Crabronidae ), possibly due to larvae escaping a gravid female brought into the nest by the wasp itself ( Bohart et al. 1966; Peckham 1991). It has accordingly been considered a facultative predator ( Peckham 1991), although this predatory behavior has not been reported for any other Oxysarcodexia species. Oxysarcodexia ventricosa is mainly considered a scavenger and has been collected on pig carcasses exposed in forested environments and in the active decay stage of decomposition ( Payne & King 1972; Tabor et al. 2004, 2005). In a survey conducted in Huntsville, Texas, O. ventricosa was recorded during the first six days of decomposition of a human corpse exposed in an area of partially filtered sunlight ( Lindgren et al. 2015). Adults of this species have also been collected from pitcher plants ( Dahlem & Naczi 2006), hilltops ( Dodge & Seago 1954), and in a bog ( Judd 1970). Pupae having fed on dung as larvae have been recorded as parasitized by Aphaereta pallipes ( Say, 1828) ( Hymenoptera : Braconidae ) ( Figg et al. 1983).

Material examined. [ ♂] [ USA] ALABAMA: Madison Co. 10km NE Maysville, Sharp Cove , Sneed Spg. bottomland, 240m, 6 oct 1992, Acciavath / NRM-DIPT 0014456 [ NRM] // [♂] USA, Fla, Highlands Co. , Archbold Biol.St., 15.vi.1989, T.Pape leg.[ NHMD] // [♂] Atlantida, 950m HONDURAS 17.IX.1972 J. Helava / Oxysarcodexia ventricosa ♂ (Wulp) Det. H. S. Lopes [ MNRJ] // [♂] Oxysarcodexia ventricosa ♂ (Wulp) Det. H. S. Lopes / M.B. 445 CHAPULTEPEC MEXICO. D.F. A. DAMPF XI—941 [ MNRJ].

Figures

FIGURES 264–273. Oxysarcodexia spp., males. 264–266. Oxysarcodexia trivialis (Wulp) (Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Las Alturas, Cerro Chai, NHMD). 264. Habitus, lateral view. 265. Terminalia, lateral view. 266. Terminalia, posterior view. 267– 270. Oxysarcodexia varia (Walker) (267: Argentina, MACN; 268–269: Argentina, Chubut, NRM; 270: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Extrema, LIE). 267. Habitus, lateral view. 268. Terminalia, lateral view. 269. Distiphallus, anterior view. 270. Terminalia, posterior view. 271–273. Oxysarcodexia ventricosa (Wulp) (USA, Alabama, Madison County, NRM). 271. Habitus, lateral view. 272. Terminalia, lateral view. 273. Terminalia, posterior view. Fig. 267 by P.R. Mulieri (MACN).