Calliphora clarki Malloch, 1927

Johnston, Nikolas P., Szpila, Krzysztof, Pape, Thomas, Meiklejohn, Kelly A., Foley, Liam B. & Wallman, James F., 2025, A species-group framework to unravel blowfly diversity: integrative revision of the Calliphora clarki-group (Diptera: Calliphoridae), European Journal of Taxonomy 989, pp. 94-118 : 101-103

Calliphora clarki Malloch, 1927

Fig. 1

Diagnosis

This species can be distinguished from other members of the clarki -group by the unique combination of the basicosta orange/brown and fronto-orbital and parafacial plates silver/grey at the height of the antennal insertion.

Type material

Holotype AUSTRALIA – WA • Perth; 1917; J. Clark leg.; ANIC.

Other material examined

AUSTRALIA – WA • 3 ♂♂; Circular Pool, Nornalup National Park ; 9 Oct. 1970; D.H. Colless leg.; ANIC • 2 ♂♂; Albany; 29 Oct. 1969; K.R. Norris leg.; ANIC • 1 ♂; 16 km North East of Albany ; 30 Dec. 1970; P. Ferrar leg.; ANIC • 1 ♂; Yallingup; 9 Nov. 1958; E.F. Riek leg.; ANIC • 1 ♀; Shannon River ; 14 Sep. 1974; N. Monzu leg.; ANIC • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Inlet River ; 14 Sep. 1974; N. Monzu leg.; ANIC • 1 ♀; Augusta; 3 Oct. 1970; D.H. Colless leg.; ANIC .

Description

Male

HEAD. Fronto-orbital plate with light grey microtomentum along entire length (viewed dorsally), microtomentum highly variable, appearing black laterally. Fronto-orbital plate setose with row of ~10 setae, additional weaker setulae also present. Ocellar triangle with many strong black ocellar setae, no outer vertical setae, one pair of inner vertical setae. Median occipital sclerite black with dull grey microtomentum, one pair of black post ocellar setae, one pair of paravertical setae; postocular setae black. Occiput with grey microtomentum, with intermixed black and yellow setulae. Postocular area with grey microtomentum. Parafacial plate with silvery/grey microtomentum, ground colour black, with several irregular rows of black setae. Frontal stripe dark brown, tapering, decreasing from ~5 × width of anterior ocellus to almost obliterated (lunule to height of anterior ocellus). Face with grey microtomentum. Facial ridge setose with irregular row of black setae. Scape and pedicel dark brown. Postpedicel ~2× length of pedicel, black with basal regions of orange occupying ~0.25 of flagellomere, faint white microtomentum (most visible when viewed dorsally). Arista plumose dorsally and ventrally, black. Gena and postgena black with grey microtomentum and black setulae. Postgena concolorous with gena, with black setulae. Genal groove dark brown, without microtomentum, broader than width of parafacial plate, without setulae. Vibrissae strong, black, decussate. Frontoclypeal membrane black, pronounced anteriorly to posterior margin of postpedicel, bare. Palpus orange and straight. Proboscis dark brown, glossy.

THORAX. Ground colour metallic dark blue with weak grey microtomentum most visible presuturally. Postpronotal lobe concolourous with mesonotum but completely covered in grey microtomentum. Mesonotum with 4 weak vittae, most visible presuturally, varying in width and visibility depending of viewing angle. Scutellum concolourous with mesonotum. Proepisternum, anepisternum, katepisternum, anepimeron, meron, anatergite and katatergite all black, with weak grey microtomentum. Greater ampulla dark brown with dense short yellow setulae; lesser ampulla orange/brown with dense short yellow setulae. Haltere brown. Anterior spiracle orange/brown, reduced (smaller than proepisternum). Posterior spiracle complete, dark brown, darker than anterior spiracle.

CHAETOTAXY. Acrostichal setae: 2+3 (presutural + postsutural); dorsocentral setae: 3+3; intra-alar setae: 3+2; supra-alar setae: 2+3; 2 notopleural setae; no anterior postpronotal seta; 3 strong basal postpronotal setae; 2 postalar setae; 3 pairs of marginal scutellar setae, 1 pair of strong discal scutellar setae, additional long setulae near discal setae almost equal in length; katepisternal setae 2+1. Katepisternum with numerous short black setulae half of katepisternal setae length. All major pleural setae black. Anepisternum, anepimeron, meron, anatergite and proepisternum with black setulae. Katatergite with short dense yellow setulae.

WING. Weakly infuscated in basal half appearing pale brown. Basicosta orange/brown. Tegula black. Subcostal sclerite brown with short dense orange setulae. Upper calypter weakly infuscated light brown with distinct dark brown margin, dorsal surface bare, brown setulae on margin particularly in fold between upper and lower calypters. Lower calypter infuscated brown with pale yellow margin, dorsal surface with black setulae, entire margin with pale yellow setulae.

LEGS. Fore, mid and hind coxa, trochanters, femora, tibia and tarsi black with grey microtomentum and black setulae. Tarsal claws slightly shorter than tarsomere 5, dark brown. Pulvilli brown, each pulvillus equal in width to tarsomere 5 and equal in length to tarsal claws.

ABDOMEN. Abdominal tergites 1+2 (T1+2)–5 with ground colour metallic blue green with weak grey microtomentum covering all tergites (variable with viewing angle), with black setulae. T1+2 with lateral black marginal setae. T3–5 with a row of marginal black setae. Sternites 1+2–5 black with weak grey microtomentum and black setulae. S5 cleft into two lobes.

MALE TERMINALIA. Cercus. Equal in length to phallus; in lateral view, hooked with a weak concave region in basal half; in posterior view, fused in proximal third. Surstylus. Equal in length to cercus; setose; in lateral view, curved slightly downwards, in posterior view, curved towards phallus. Phallus. In lateral view, epiphallus equal in length to post-gonite, hooked in distal 0.1. Pre-gonite half of post-gonite length, triangular. Post-gonite curved, with a broad rounded tip. Hypophallic lobe serrated on anterior margin and sclerotised for entire length. Paraphallus weakly curved, not reaching posterior margin of hypophallic lobe, tip of paraphallus hooked. Acrophallus straight; mesohypophallus weakly or not sclerotised in distal half, sclerotised in proximal half.

Female

As for male, except in the following respects:

HEAD. Frontal stripe broad for entire length, one pair of outer vertical setae present.

ABDOMEN. S5 uncleft.

Ecology

Unknown.

Distribution

AUSTRALIA: WA.

Remarks

Label data indicate that a specimen was collected from a flowering shrub (♂; 16 km North East of Albany; 30 Dec. 1970).

Figures

Fig. 1. A–C. Calliphora clarki Malloch, 1927, ♂, Yallingup, WA, 9 Nov. 1958, E.F. Riek leg. (ANIC). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head, anterior view. D–E. Female, Augusta, WA, 3 Oct. 1970, D.H. Colless leg. (ANIC). D. Head, anterior view. E. Calypter, lateral view. F–H. Male terminalia and phallus, Circular Pool, Normalup WA, 9 Aug. 1970, D.H. Colless leg. (ANIC). F. Lateral view. G. Posterior view. H. Phallus, lateral view. Abbreviations: Acr = acrophallus; Ce = cercus; Epi = epiphallus; Hy = hypophallic lobe; M = mesohypophallus; Par = paraphallus; Pl = pleural suture; PoG = postgonite; PrG = pregonite; Su = surstylus. Black scale bars = 1 mm; red scale bars = 500 µm.