Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) pedunculata

Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) pedunculata (Hall, 1931) (Figure 1) Sarcophaga pedunculata Hall, 1931: 284. Type locality: USA, Texas, Victoria. Cucullomyia pedunculata: Lopes 1969: 47. (catalogue); Lopes 1976b: 747. (key, redescription of male) Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) pedunculata: Pape 1996: 432. (catalogue). Type-material examined. PARATYPES. 2 ♂: USA, Texas, Victoria, 23.iv.1946, R. A. Roberts leg. (MNRJ) [lost]. Diagnosis. Scutellum with a lateral patch of whitish hair-like setulae; vesica with a proximal membranous portion forming a high and wide projection with a conspicuous pointed tip in profile and distal margin forming an outward-facing flap (Figure 1 (c–e)); juxta ovoid, in lateral view (Figure 1 (e)); median stylus with broad base, serrated internal margins and spinous apex (Figure 1 (c,d)); lateral styli curved and convergent, with spinous apex (Figure 1 (c,d)). Redescription. MALE (n = 2). Body length = 10.0–12.0 mm. Head. Parafacial and fronto-orbital plates with golden pruinosity; fronto-orbital plate with sparse setulae; parafacial plate with row of setulae close to eye and measuring about 0.45 of distance between vibrissae; frons about 0.30 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta entirely blackish; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 slightly divergent, 6–8 well-developed frontal setae reaching level of base of pedicel, the uppermost one shorter than the others; reclinate orbital seta present, proclinate orbital setae absent; outer vertical setae 0.5x inner vertical and divergent; ocellar setae as developed as upper frontals; ocellar triangle dark brown; postocellar and paravertical setae present; postocular area with golden pruinosity; gena with golden pruinosity, black setae in anterior part and whitish setae close to occiput; postgena with silvery pruinosity and numerous whitish setae; face with silvery pruinosity; facial ridge black with silvery pruinosity, with short setulae in lower half; antenna dark brown, total length 0.81 of distance from insertion to vibrissal level, first flagellomere brown with grey pruinosity and approximately 3.0x longer than pedicel; arista long plumose on basal 2/3; palpus blackish. Thorax. Black with silvery-grey pruinosity, postpronotum, notopleuron, anepisternum, anepimeron, and katepisternum with slightly yellowish pruinosity; chaetotaxy: acrostichals 0 + 1, pre-sutural dorsocentrals poorly differentiated, except two setae close to head and one near suture; post-sutural dorsocentrals 4 (posteriormost 2 well developed), intraalars 1 + 2, supra-alars 2 + 3, postpronotals 3, notopleurals 4; katepisternals 3, almost in a straight line; postalar wall setulose; postalar callus with 2 setae; scutellum with a patch of whitish hair-like setulae on lateral margin and reaching ventral part, pairs of basal, lateral and subapical setae (lateral pair shorter), a pair of preapical discal setae, and no apical setae; meral setae 7–8; proepisternum bare; prosternum setulose. Wing. Hyaline, with dark brown veins; tegula dark brown; basicosta yellowish; vein R1 bare; vein R4+5 with setulae dorsally on 1/2 of distance to crossvein r-m; cell r4+5 open at wing margin; third costal sector bare ventrally. Legs. Blackish-brown with silvery pruinosity, pulvilli yellowishbrown; mid femur with a row of 3 − 4 median anterior setae, a row of anteroventral setae, 2 preapical posterior setae, 2 median setae and a ctenidium of 9 spiniform setae on posteroventral surface; mid tibia with 2 median anterodorsal, 1 basal and 1 median posterior setae, and 1 median posterodorsal seta; hind femur with a row of anterodorsal setae, a row of anterior setae in proximal half, 1 apical dorsal and 1 apical posterodorsal seta, and rows of anteroventral and posteroventral setae; hind tibia with 1 median anterior seta, 1 basal, 1 median and 1 apical seta in the same position on the anterodorsal and posterodorsal surfaces, and a median anterodorsal seta; hind coxa and trochanter with normal setae. Abdomen. Dark brown with yellowish grey pruinosity on T1 + 2− T3; T4− T5 reddish brown with yellowish pruinosity; T1 + 2− T4 with lateral marginal setae; T3− T5 with a set of long setae with wavy apex on ventral surface, more numerous on T5; T4 with a pair of median marginal setae; T5 with a complete row of marginal setae (ca. 12); ST2 − 4 rectangular with long setae in distal half; ST5 deeply cleft with short base, long and narrow arms, longer setae at base and at arm apex (Figure 1 (a)). Terminalia. Reddish brown; syntergosternite 7 + 8 with yellowish pruinosity and sparse setulae; epandrium with yellowish pruinosity and a pair of developed dorsal setae; surstylus short and clavate, with some longer apical setae (Figure 1 (b)); cercal prongs narrow and parallel in posterior view, with distal end slightly enlarged and rounded in profile (Figure 1 (b)); pregonite long, distal half bent at almost 90° and with spatulate apex (Figure 1 (c)); postgonite as long as pregonite, with a long median setae and small setulae (Figure 1 (c)); basiphallus about 3x the paraphallus length, paraphallus with 2 dorsal keels (Figure 1 (c)); vesica with proximal membranous portion forming a high and wide projection with a conspicuous pointed end in profile and distal margin forming an outwardfacing flap (Figure 1 (c–e)); juxta ovoid, in lateral view (Figure 1 (e)); median stylus with broad base, serrated internal margins and spinous apex (Figure 1 (c,d)); lateral styli curved and convergent, with spinous apex (Figure 1 (c,d)). FEMALE. Redescribed and illustrated in Lopes (1976). Distribution (Nearctic). Mexico (Baja California North), USA (Texas). Comments. Titanogrypa (C.) pedunculata closely resembles T. (C.) alvarengai, as both have a vesica with only the proximal membranous projection and without distal projections (Figures 1 (e), 3(e)) besides similarities in the shape of pregonite and surstylus shape (Figures 1 (b,c), 3(b,c)). This species differs from other congeneric species mainly by having the ST5 more widely open (Figure 1 (a)) and by the unique shape of the basal projection of the vesica (Figure 1 (e)).
Published as part of Barbosa, Taciano M., Mello-Patiu, Cátia A. & Vasconcelos, Simão D., 2021, Revision of the New World subgenus Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), with a reassessment of diagnostic characters, pp. 305-340 in Journal of Natural History 55 (5 - 6) on pages 317-321, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1902587, http://zenodo.org/record/5473916
{"references":["Hall DG. 1931. New Texas Sarcophaginae (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Entomol News. 42: 280 - 286.","Lopes HS. 1969. Family Sarcophagidae. In: Papavero N, editor. A catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas south of the United States. Sao Paulo: Departamento de Zoologia, Secretaria de Agricultura; p. 88.","Lopes HS. 1976 b. On the genus Cucullomyia Roback (Diptera, Sarcophagidae). Rev Bras Biol. 36: 745 - 757.","Pape T. 1996. Catalogue of the Sarcophagidae of the World (Insecta: Diptera). Mem Entomol Int. 8: 1 - 558."]}