Titanogrypa ( Cucullomyia ) placida ( Aldrich, 1925 )

Titanogrypa ( Cucullomyia) placida ( Aldrich, 1925) View in CoL ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 )

Sarcophaga placida Aldrich, 1925: 24 View in CoL . Type locality: Panama, Canal Zone, Ancon. Ref.: Dodge 1968 (checklist). Cucullomyia placida View in CoL ; Lopes 1969: 47 (catalogue, new combination); Lopes 1976a: 79 (redescription); Lopes 1976b: 748 (key, redescription); Titanogrypa ( Cucullomyia) placida View in CoL ; Pape 1996: 432 (catalogue, new combination); Reeves et al. 2000: 499 (note on biology); Giroux et al. 2010: 773 (morphological phylogeny); Yepes-Gaurisas et al. 2013: 1277 (synantropy); Mello-Patiu 2016: 895 (catalogue); Valverde-Castro et al. 2017: 4 (species list), Buenaventura and Pape 2018: 819 (morphological phylogeny).

Examined material examined. MEXICO – 1 ♂: Oaxaca, 30 .vi .1951, W .G . Downs leg . [donated and compared with type series by W.G. Downs] ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Xalapa, Vera Cruz , 25 .ix .1950, W .G . Downs leg . [donated and compared with type series by W.G. Downs] ( MNRJ) [lost] ; COSTA RICA – 1 ♂: Província de Guanacaste, Santa Rosa National Park , ii .1983, D .H . Janzen & W. Hall Wacks leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Parque Nacional Guanacaste, 14–18 . viii .2010, S . Nihei leg . ( MNRJ) [lost]; 1 ♂: Parque Nacional Guanacaste, 15 .viii .2010, J . Gibson leg . ( MNRJ) [lost].

Diagnosis. Scutellum with a lateral patch of whitish hair-like setulae; vesica longer than wide, without projection at the base, with a narrow and more sclerotised sheath along the distal margin, facing outwards in ventral view ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (e)); juxta composed of broad lobe, as long as paraphallus, and with internal sclerotised band ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (c–e)); median and lateral styli very long, surpassing the juxta in lateral view, both with spines at the apex ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (d,e)).

Redescription. MALE (n = 5). Body length = 11.0–12.0 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 0.48 of distance between the vibrissae; frons about 0.33 head width at level of ocellar triangle; frontal vitta entirely blackish; rows of frontal setae parallel except anteriormost 2 slightly divergent, 7–8 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 setae 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 at the top and silver at the bottom, 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 0.77 of distance from insertion to vibrissal level, first flagellomere brown with grey pruinosity and approximately 2.0x longer than pedicel; arista long plumose on basal 2/3; palpus blackish.

Thorax. Black with silvery-grey pruinosity, postpronotum and notopleuron with slightly yellowish grey pruinosity; chaetotaxy: acrostichals 1 − 2 + 1, dorsocentrals 4 − 5 poorly differentiated + 4 (posteriormost 2 well developed), intra-alars 2 + 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 the 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 yellowish-brown; 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 10 spiniform setae in posteroventral margin; mid tibia with 1 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 the 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 sufarces, and 1 strong ventral 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, more intense on T5; 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 − 14); ST2 − 4 rectangular with long setae in distal half; ST5 deeply cleft with short base, long and narrow arms, longer setae at base and spiniform setae in distal half ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (a)).

Terminalia . Reddish brown; syntergosternite 7 + 8 with yellowish pruinosity and sparse setulae; epandrium with yellowish pruinosity, a pair of developed dorsal seta, and long and sparse setulae; surstylus short, clavate but with a short projection in the posterior margin and some apical setae ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (b)); cercal prongs narrow and parallel in posterior view, with distal end slightly enlarged and rounded in profile ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (b)); pregonite long with spatulate apex and a median depression on anterior margin ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (c)); postgonite about 0.5x the pregonite, with a long median setae and small setulae ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (c)); basiphallus about 3x paraphallus length, paraphallus with 2 dorsal keels ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (c)); vesica longer than wide, without projection at the base, with a narrow and more sclerotised sheath along the distal margin, facing outwards in ventral view ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (e)); juxta composed of broad lobe, as long as paraphallus, and with internal sclerotised band ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (c,d)); median and lateral styli very long, surpassing the juxta in lateral view, both with spines at the apex ( Figure 6 View Figure 6 (d,e)).

Female. Redescribed and illustrated in Lopes (1976a).

Distribution (Nearctic and Neotropical). Mexico ( Sonora), Colômbia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicarágua and Panamá.

Comments. Titanogrypa ( C.) placida closely resembles T. ( C.) albuquerquei as both have vesica long and ST 5 with narrow arms ( Figures 2 View Figure 2 (a,e), 6(a,e)), but this species is remarkably different from other congeneric species, mainly in having a long vesica without a membranous projection, juxta with broad and long lobes, and styli very long and exposed ( Figures 6 View Figure 6 (c–e))