Comparative morphology and identification key for females of nine Sarcophagidae species (Diptera) with forensic importance in Southern Brazil

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Karine

Pinto

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Vairo

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_Mauricio

_Osvaldo

_Moura

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_Cátia

_Antunes

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_Mello-Patiu

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a_Departamento_de_Zoologia,_Universidade_Federal_do_Paraná,_Curitiba,_PR,_Brazil

b_Departamento_de_Entomologia,_Museu_Nacional,_Universidade_Federal_do_Rio_de_Janeiro,_Rio_de_Janeiro,_RJ,_Brazil

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Articlehistory:

Received1February2015 Accepted4May2015 Availableonline10July2015 AssociateEditor:GustavoGraciolli Keywords: Forensicentomology Microcerella Oxysarcodexia Peckia Sarcophaga

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Theidentificationoffemalefleshflieswasalwaysconsideredadifficulttasksincemorphological

descrip-tionsandkeysforfemalesarerare.Eveninaforensicentomologyframework,wherefemalesplayamajor

role,femalefleshfliesareusuallynotidentified.InordertofillthisgapinSouthernBrazilfaunawe

pro-videdetaileddescriptionsandkeyforthefemaleofninespeciesincludedinfourgenera:Microcerellahalli

(Engel),Oxysarcodexiapaulistanensis(Mattos),Oxysarcodexiariograndensis(Lopes),Peckia(Euboettcheria)

australis(Townsend),Peckia(Euboettcheria)ﬂorencioi(PradoandFonseca),Peckia(Pattonella)intermutans

(Walker),Peckia(Pattonella)resona(Lopes),Peckia(Sarcodexia)lambens(Wiedemann),andSarcophaga

(Bercaea)africa(Wiedemann).Thesespeciesaredistinguishedmainlybygenitalcharactersastergite6

dividedorundivided,presenceoftergite8,spermathecamorphologyandvaginalplateshape.

accessarticleundertheCCBY-NC-NDlicense(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Introduction

SarcophagidaeHagen, 1881is widelydistributed withabout 3100describedspeciesin400genera.Althoughithasworldwide geographicdistribution,Sarcophagidaerichnessisremarkably con-centrated in regions of tropical and warm temperate climate

(Shewell, 1987; Pape, 1996) and in Neotropical region more

than 800 species are found. There are three subfamilies, Mil-togramminae, Paramacronychiinaeand Sarcophaginae, but only Sarcophaginaehasspeciesofforensicandmedicalimportancein theNeotropics(Pape,1996).

The external morphology of most Sarcophaginae adults is extremelysimilar.Thespeciessharethreeblackstripespatternin themesonotum,meronwithbristles,undevelopedsubscutellum, andabdomencheckeredorspottedandmediumtolargesize,

rang-ingfrom8to14mm(deCarvalhoandMello-Patiu,2008).Probably

becauseofthismorphologicalsimilarityandthelackofkeys,this groupisconsideredtobedifﬁcultforidentiﬁcation(Barrosetal.,

2008;Mulierietal.,2010;Vairoetal.,2011).

∗ Correspondingauthor.

E-mail:[email protected](K.P.e.Vairo).

Femaleﬂeshﬂiesaremuchmoreabundantthanmaleson car-casses.Theyusethecorpsenotonlyassourceoffoodandmating sitebutalsoaslarvipositionsite.Inforensicentomology,thespecies thatrearoncorpsesareconsideredthemostimportantdatasource. Thebiologicaldatafromthesespeciesareessentialtoestimatethe minimumpostmorteminterval(PMI),whichcorrespondstothe periodofinsectactivityoncorpse(Tomberlinetal.,2011).In addi-tiontotheiruseinappliedsciences,suchasforensicentomology, females havetheirownplace inSarcophagidaesystematicsand canprovideimportantcharactersformappingthegroupevolution

(Lopes,1941,1958;TibanaanddeMello-Patiu,1985;de

Mello-PatiuandSantos,2001)althoughfemalesarestillunknowninmany

species.However,despitetheirimportance,Sarcophagidaefemales areusuallyneglectedintaxonomicandappliedresearch.

In southernBrazil,forensicentomologyiswelldisseminated

(Vairoetal.,2015;Corrêaetal.,2014)buttherearenoavailablekeys

forallnecrophagousfemalefleshflies,makingthisgroupunder uti-lizedinforensiccases.Mulierietal.(2010)providedakeytomale andfemaleadultsofSarcophaginaefromBuenosAiresProvince, including39species,thatcanbeusedpartiallytoidentifyfauna fromsouthernBrazil,butonlyfourspecieshereinanalyzedwere includedamongthem.Nevertheless,amoredetailedcomparisonof femalesofmostspeciesofforensicimportanceisessentialto pro-videagreaternumberofcharactersandminimizethedifficulties http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rbe.2015.06.003

0085-5626/© 2015 Sociedade Brasileira de Entomologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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intheproblematictaskoffemaleidentiﬁcation,especiallyby non-taxonomists,inmedical,veterinaryandforensicapplications(de

CarvalhoandMello-Patiu,2008;Mulierietal.,2010).Therefore,as

aﬁrststeptoﬁllthisgap,wepresentapictorialkeyforfemalesof ninenecrophagousspeciesofSarcophaginaefromsouthernBrazil.

Materialandmethods

Allspecieschosenmettwocriteria:canberearedinorganic matter,thusbeingnecrophagous,andhavetheirgeographicrange reachingSouthernBrazil.Thosespeciesare:Oxysarcodexia paulis-tanensis (Mattos, 1919), Microcerella halli (Engel, 1931), Peckia (Sarcodexia)lambens(Wiedemann,1830),Peckia(Pattonella) res-ona(Lopes,1935),Peckia(Pattonella)intermutans(Walker,1861), Oxysarcodexiariograndensis (Lopes, 1946), Peckia(Euboettcheria) australis(Townsend,1927),Peckia(Euboettcheria)florencioi(Prado andFonseca,1932)andSarcophaga(Bercaea)africa(Wiedemann, 1824).Thefirstfivespecieshavelarvaealreadysampledon car-cassesand/orhumancorpses(Salviano,1996;Mouraetal.,1997,

1998,2005;CarvalhoandLinhares,2001;OliveiraandVasconcelos,

2010;Vairoetal.,2011)andthelastfourhaveadultssampledin

Paraná,SantaCatarinaandRioGrandedoSulandrearedin labora-torywithputreﬁedbovinemeat.

Although22speciesofﬂeshﬂieswithpotentialforensic impor-tancewerealreadyregisteredinSouthernBrazil(Vairoetal.,2011), inthispresentcontributionwewereinterestedinspeciesthatcould beusedtoestimatetheminimumpostmorteminterval,i.e.,not onlyspeciesattractedbycarrion,butthosespeciesinwhichthe larvaearerearedoncarcassesorcorpses.

To start the colonies we collectedspecimens from Curitiba (Paraná), Campinas (São Paulo) and Bombas (Santa Catarina). Femaleswerecapturedusingabutterflybaittrap,whichallows theresearchertochoosefliesinthefield.Allfemaleswerereared individuallyinsmallcagesuntillarviposition,thusproducingan isolineage.Thelarvaewererearedinputrefiedbovinemeatuntil theemergenceofadults.Aftertheemergence,maleswere iden-tified based on Vairo et al. (2011), thus ensuring the correct identificationoffemales.Colonieswereestablishedandmaintained attheUniversidadeFederaldoParaná,CentroPolitécnico,Curitiba, Paraná,Brazil,exceptthecolonyofP.intermutansestablishedatthe UniversidadeEstadualdeCampinas,Campinas,SãoPaulo,Brazil. Thefemalesweremountedandtheabdomensremovedandcleared in10%potassiumhydroxide,washedafewtimesindistilledwater andimmersedin10%aceticacid.Photographsweretakenwitha LeicaDFC500digitalcameraandAuto-MontageProDigital Imag-ingSystem(Syncropy),usingaLeicaMZ16stereomicroscope.The illustrationswereproducedusingdrawingtubeandeditedwith GIMP2.8.Fig.1presentsageneralsketchofthefemale termina-liashowingthemainstructuresusedinspeciesidentification.We adoptedtheterminologyofShewell(1987)forgeneralmorphology

andLopes(1939)for“vaginalplate”.Synonymic informationfor

eachspeciesisavailableinPape(1996).Updateddistributiondata afterPape(1996)arealsoprovided(Barrosetal.,2008;Barbosa

etal.,2009;Rosaetal.,2009;Souzaetal.,2011;Vairoetal.,2011,

2014;BuenaventuraandPape,2013).Vouchersaredepositedin

Colec¸ãoEntomológicaPadreJesusSantiagoMoure,Universidade Federaldo Paraná(DZUP) and Colec¸ãoEntomológicado Museu Nacional,UniversidadeFederaldoRiodeJaneiro(MNRJ).

Results

Theresultsaredividedinanidentiﬁcationkeythatprovides descriptionsofeachspecieswithillustrations(Figs.2–12).

KeytofemaleﬂeshﬂieswithforensicimportanceinSouthern Brazil.

1.Tergite6undivided ...2 1.Tergite6dividedintotwoplates ...4 2.Midtibiawithlongmediananteriorsetathatextendsbeyondtheapexoftibia; spermathecarounded;epiproctpresent ... P.(S.)lambens 2_._Mid_tibia_without_a_long_median_anterior_seta_that_extends_beyond_the_apex_of

tibia;spermathecanotrounded,withadifferentshapeasabove;epiproct absent ... 3 3.Tergite8wellsclerotized,vaginalplateconspicuous...O.riograndensis 3.Tergite8absent,vaginalplateabsentorcompletelymembranous...M.halli 4.Tergite6astwoseparatedplatesdorsallyfolded ... S.(B.)africa 4_._Tergite₆_as_two_plates_separated_by_a_membrane_or_by_a_sclerotized_area,_not

foldeddorsally...5 5.Vaginalplatewellsclerotized,almostthesamesizeashypoproct,rectangular,

withconcaveposteriormarginandcentralareawithadepression;tergite6as twoplatesseparatedbyasclerotizedarea...O.paulistanensis 5_._Vaginal_plate_absent_or,_if_present,_not_as_described_above;_tergite₆_as_two

platesseparatedbyamembrane...6 6.Spermathecaspherical,withoutstriationsandsegmentalconstrictions;tergite

8absent...7 6_._Spermatheca_with_segmental_{constrictions,}_divided_into_proximal_and_distal

part;tergite8present...8 7.Vaginalplateabsent...Peckia(Euboettcheria)australis 7_._Vaginal_plate_present,_with_a_median_ﬁnger-like_projection_._._._._P._(E.)_ﬂorencioi 8.Tergite8widerthanlong;tergite5withtwolateralgoldenspots...P.(P.)

intermutans

8_._Tergite₈_longer_than_wide;_tergite₅_with_no_lateral_golden_{spots .}_._._._._._._._{. P.}_(P.) resona

Oxysarcodexiapaulistanensis(Mattos,1919)(Figs.2,11A,and12A) Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:Two procli-nateorbitalsetae,thesuperioronewithhalflengthoftheinferior; innerverticalsetaedifferentiatedfrompostocellarsetae.Tergite5 withadorsolaterallightgoldenspot.Tergite6divided,themedian regionconnectingthetwoplatesaresclerotized;spiracle6in mem-braneand7withinthesclerites.Sixtoeightstrongmarginalsetae accompaniedbythinsetae.Tergite7absent.Tergite8astwolateral bareplates,relativelypigmented,centrallyextendedandtaperedat thetopandbottom,joinedbyamembrane.Epiproctabsent. Ster-nites2–6rectangularwithroundedcornerswithstrongsetaein theposteriormarginandweaksetaeinthemedianpart;sternite 6shorterandwideroncomparingtosternite5;sternite7wider than6with3strongsetaeineachlateralandsomesetulae; stern-ites6,7and8fused;sternite8broadlymembranouswithansmall marginalsclerotizedareawithsetulae.Vaginalplatepresent,well sclerotized,almostthesamesizeashypoproct,rectangular,with concaveposteriormarginandcentralareawithadepression. Sper-mathecaelongatedandslightlyovalwithtransversalstriationsin allextension.

Distribution: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Ríos), Brazil(DistritoFederal,MinasGerais,Paraná,RiodeJaneiro,Rio GrandedoSul,SãoPaulo),Chile(Santiago).

Material examined:eight females fromcolonies initiated by specimenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,ii.2011.K.Vairo col.

Oxysarcodexiariograndensis(Lopes,1946)(Figs.3,11B,and12B) Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:Twoproclinate orbitalsetae,thesuperioronewithsimilarsizeasfrontalsandthe inferioronetwotimesthesizeasthesuperior;innerverticalsetae differentiatedfromthepostocellarsetae.Tergite5witha dorsolat-eralgoldenlightspot.Tergite6undivided;spiracle6inmembrane andspiracle7withinthesclerite,with6–9strongmarginalsetae. Tergite7absent.Tergite8astwolateralsclerotizedbareplates,two timesthecercussize.Epiproctabsent.Sternites1–5dark-brown, darkercomparedtotheothers;sternites2and5withsquareshape, posteriorcornersrounded,strongsetaeintheposteriormarginand

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Fig.1.Generalmorphologyoffemaleterminalia.(A)Oxysarcodexiapaulistanensis(pink=tergite8;green=cercus;yellow=hypoproct;blue=vaginalplate;darkred=spiracle 6;darkgreen=spiracle7.(B)Peckia(Euboettcheria)ﬂorencioi(orange=epiproct).(C)Microcerellahalli(lightyellow=sternite5;lightgreen=sternite6;lightpink=sternites 7+8).

somesetulaeinthemedianpart;sternite5shorterthan6; ster-nites6,7and8fused;sternite6 widerthan5withonerowof setae,3strongsetaeoneachsideandwithmanysetulaein cen-tralpart;sternite7almost1.5timesthesizeofsternite5,posterior marginconcave,marginalsetaebeingthreestronglateralonesand othersmallweaksetae;sternite8membranouswithmedianarea roundedandpigmented,marginwithsomesetulae.Vaginalplate sub-rectangular,posteriormarginslightlyconcave.Spermathecae slightlyelongatedwithtransversalstriationsinallextension.

Distribution:Argentina(Jujuy),Brazil(Paraná,RiodeJaneiro, RioGrandedoSul).

Materialexamined:sixfemalesfromcoloniesinitiatedby spec-imenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,ii.2011.K.Vairocol.

Peckia (Pattonella) intermutans (Walker, 1861)

(Figs.4,11G,and12C)

Description – differs from male in the following: two well-developedproclinateorbitalsetae;innerverticalsetae differ-entiatedfrompostocellarsetae.Tergite5withonelateralgolden spotanda lightgoldencolorationat posteriormarginindorsal view.Tergite 6dividedinto twobigplates separatedbya nar-rowmembrane;spiracles6and7withinthesclerite;10–12strong setaeonposteriormargin.Tergite7absent.Tergite8astwosmall bareplates,slightlylargerthancercus.Epiproctabsent.Sternites 2–5squareshapedwithstrongsetaeonposteriormargin; stern-ites6,7and8separated;sternite6squareshaped,abitsmaller

Fig.2.ExternalfemalemorphologyofOxysarcodexiapaulistanensis.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:1mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

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Fig.3. ExternalfemalemorphologyofOxysarcodexiariograndensis.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:1mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

thansternite5,withnumerousstrongmarginalandpremarginal setae;sternite7squarewithsetaemoreconcentratedonposterior margin,withastrongpaironeachside;sternite8membranous, not well pigmented, about halfof lengthof sternite 7, with 5 longsetae.Vaginalplatemembranous,slightlypigmented;anterior

marginroundedandposteriormarginwithamediandepression. Spermathecaelongatedwithasegmentalconstrictionseparatinga narrowerproximalpartandanotstriateddistalpart.

Distribution:Brazil(Amazonas,Ceará,DistritoFederal,Goiás, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Santa

Fig.4.ExternalfemalemorphologyofPeckia(Pattonella)intermutans.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:1mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:2mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:1mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:2mm.

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Fig.5. ExternalfemalemorphologyofPeckia(Pattonella)resona.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:2mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:1mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:2mm.

Fig.6.ExternalfemalemorphologyofPeckia(Euboettcheria)australis.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scales:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:2mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

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Fig.7.ExternalfemalemorphologyofPeckia(Euboettcheria)ﬂorencioi.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:1mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview,scale:1mm.

Fig.8.ExternalfemalemorphologyofPeckia(Sarcodexia)lambens.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:1mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

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Fig.9.ExternalfemalemorphologyofMicrocerellahalli.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:2mm;(C)abdominalterminalsegments, ventralview;scale:1mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

Fig.10.ExternalfemalemorphologyofSarcophaga(Bercaea)africa.(A)Habitus,lateralview;scale:2mm;(B)abdomen,dorsalview;scale:2mm;(C)abdominalterminal segments,ventralview;scale:0.5mm;(D)abdomen,ventralview;scale:1mm.

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Fig.11.Femaleterminalia.(A)Oxysarcodexiapaulistanensis(sternites1–4omitted);(B)Oxysarcodexiariograndensis(sternites1–4omitted);(C)Peckia(Pattonella)resona (sternites1–4omitted);(D)Peckia(Euboettcheria)ﬂorencioi(sternites1–4omitted);(E)Peckia(Sarcodexia)lambens(sternites1–4omitted);(F)Microcerellahalli(sternites 1–4omitted);(G)Peckia(Pattonella)intermutans(tergite6andsternite1omitted);(H)Peckia(Euboettcheria)australis;(I)Sarcophaga(Bercaea)africa(sternite1omitted). Scales:1mm.

Catarina, São Paulo), Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guiana, Honduras, Mexico (Jalisco), Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lúcia, TrinidadandTobago(Tobago,Trinidad).

Material examined: nine females from colonies initiated by specimenscollectedinBrazil,SãoPaulo,MogiGuac¸u,iv.2011.M. Grellacol.

Peckia(Pattonella)resona(Lopes,1935)(Figs.5,11C,and12D) Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:twoproclinate well-developedorbitalsetae,bothtwicethesizeoffrontalsetae; innerverticalsetaedistinguishfromthepostocellarsetae.Tergite 5withananteriorsilverspotindorsalview.Tergite6dividedinto

twobigplatesseparatedbyanarrowmembrane;spiracles6and 7withinthesclerite;12strongmarginalsetaeconcentratedinthe medianregion.Tergite7absent.Tergite8astwosmalland nar-rowbareplates,abitbiggerthancercus.Epiproctabsent.Sternites 2–6squaredshapedwithstrongandlongsetaeontheposterior margin;sternites6,7and8individualized;sternite6square,abit smallerthansternite5,withstrongandlongsetaeconcentrated ontheposteriorthird;sternite7withthehalflengthofsternite6, withlongsetaeontheposteriorhalfandstrongposteriormarginal setae;sternite8membranous;sparselypigmented,withasimilar lengthofsternite7,withlongandthinsetaeonposteriormargin. Vaginalplateabsentorprobablycompletelymembranousandnot apparent.Spermathecaelongatedwithasegmental constriction

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Fig.12.Spermathecae.(A)Oxysarcodexiapaulistanensis,lateralview;scale:0.05mm;(B)Oxysarcodexiariograndensis,lateralview;scale:0.05mm;(C)Peckia(Pattonella) intermutans,lateralview;scale:0.05mm;(D)Peckia(Pattonella)resona,lateralview;scale:0.05mm;(E)Peckia(Euboettcheria)australis,lateralview;scale:0.05mm;(F) Peckia(Euboettcheria)ﬂorencioi,ventralview;scale:0.05mm;(G)Peckia(Sarcodexia)lambens,ventralview;scale:0.05mm;(H)Microcerellahalli,lateralview;scale:0.1mm; (I)Sarcophaga(Bercaea)africa,lateralview;scale:0.05mm.

separatinganarrowerproximalpart,andaroundednotstriated distalpart.

Distribution:Argentina(Corrientes),Brazil(RiodeJaneiro,Rio GrandedoSul,SantaCatarina,Paraná,MinasGerais,SãoPaulo).

Materialexamined:twofemalesfromcoloniesinitiatedby spec-imenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,v.2012.K.Vairocol.

Peckia (Euboettcheria) australis (Townsend, 1927)

(Figs.6,11H,12E)

Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:twoproclinate orbitalsetaewelldeveloped,superiorwithhalfofthelengthof inferior;innerverticalsetaedifferentiatedofpostocellarsetae. Ter-gite5withalightgoldenmicrotomentum.Tergite6dividedinto twoplatesconnectedbyabroadmembrane;spiracle6in mem-braneandspiracle7withinthesclerite,nearthemargin;15–17 strongandlongmarginalsetae.Tergites7and8notabsent.Epiproct entire,narrow,withnumeroussetaeonmedianregion.Sternites 2–5squaredshapedwithstrongmarginalsetae;sternites6 sepa-rated,7and8fused;sternite6largerthan5,butshorterinlength, withstrongmarginalsetae;sternite7withadepressedcentralarea, sternite8 representedbya narrowposteriormembranous area withsetulae,separatedofthesternite7byasemicircular,swollen,

andsetosearea.Vaginalplateabsent.Spermathecasphericalnot striated.

Distribution: Argentina (Misiones), Brazil (Mato Grosso, Rio GrandedoSul,SantaCatarina,Paraná,SãoPaulo),Paraguay.

Material examined:eight females from coloniesinitiated by specimenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,vii.2011.K.Vairo col.

Peckia (Euboettcheria) ﬂorencioi (Prado and Fonseca, 1932)

(Figs.7,11D,and12F)

Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:twoproclinate orbitalsetaewelldeveloped;innerverticalsetaedifferentiatedof postocellarsetae.Tergite5withlightgoldenmicrotomentumin dorsalview.Tergite6dividedintotwoplateswithabroad con-nectingmembrane;spiracle6inmembraneandspiracle7within thescleritenearthemargin;12–15strongandlongmarginalsetae. Tergites7and8notabsent.Epiproctentire,short,medianregion unpigmented,withstrongandlongsetae.Sternites6,7and8fused; sternite7withthesamewidthassternite6,anteriorlyrounded, withoutsetae;sternite8narrowerthansternite7,posterior mar-ginslightlyswollenwithsparsesetulae.Vaginalplatepresent,well sclerotized,withadigitiformdiscalapophysisprojectinginwards.

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Spermathecasphericalnotstriated,withapostero-ventral unscle-rotizedarea.

Distribution: Argentina (Misiones, San Luis), Brazil (Mato Grosso,RioGrandedoSul,SantaCatarina,Paraná,SãoPaulo).

Materialexamined: eight females fromcolonies initiated by specimenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,vi.2012.K.Vairo col.

Peckia (Sarcodexia) lambens (Wiedemann, 1830)

(Figs.8,11E,and12G)

Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:posteriorfemur withoutapatchofblackshortsetaeintheapicalthirdoftheanterior surface(malefemoralorgan).Tergite5withgolden microtomen-tuminlateralanddorsalview.Tergite6undivided;spiracle6in membraneand7withinthesclerite;14–16marginalstrongsetae accompaniedbysomesetulae.Tergites7and8absent.Epiproct entire,withsomeﬁnesetulaealongthemarginandone conspicu-ousstrongsetaeoneachside.Hypoproctbroadwithaconspicuous hollowatthemediumpart.Sternite2with1.5timesthesizeof sternites3and4;sternite5subrectangularwithroundedcorners andseveraldevelopedsetae;sternite6twotimesthesternite5 width,withstrongmarginalsetaeandsparsediscalsetulae; ster-nites7and8narrowerthansternite6,bothlinkedtothesternite 6bya lateralconspicuousmembranes; sternite7withnosetae andsternite8broadlymembranous,representedbyaswollenand setulosemarginalarea.Vaginalplateabsent.Spermathecacircular notstriatedwithaposteroventralunsclerotizedarea.

Distribution:Argentina(Misiones,Tucumán),Bahamas(Grand Bahamas, New Providence), Bolivia, Brazil (Amazonas, Ceará, MatoGrosso,RiodeJaneiro, SantaCatarina,São Paulo,Paraná), Chile(Tarapacá),Colombia,CostaRica,Cuba,ElSalvador,Guyana, Haiti,Jamaica,Mexico(Jalisco,NuevoLeon,Tamaulipas),Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago (Tobago).

Materialexamined:sevenfemalesfromcoloniesinitiated by specimenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,iv.2011.K.Vairo col.

Microcerellahalli(Engel,1931)(Figs.9,11F,and12H)

Description–differsfrommaleinthefollowing:twoproclinate orbitalsetaewelldeveloped;norowofsmallandstrongsetaeon anteroventralpartoftrochanter3;tibia2withtreeanteriorsetae andpresenceofareddishsensorialareaonposteriorpartoffemur. Tergite5blackwithsilvermicrotomentum.Tergite6undivided; reddishbrowntoorange,contrastingwiththedarktergite5; spir-acle6inmembraneandspiracle7withinthesclerite;20–24strong marginalsetaeaccompaniedofsmallones.Tergite7,tergite8and epiproctabsent.Sternites1–5reddishbrown,darkerthanthe oth-ers;sternites2–6squaredshapedwitharowofstrongsetaeon posteriormargin;sternites6,7and8fused;sternite6widerand shorterthanthesternite5;sternite7quadrangular;central sur-faceslightly depressedrelative totheposteriormargin,without setae;sternite8swollen,widelymembranousexceptforthe sclero-tizedposteriormargin,posterioranglesexpandedwiththreeapical setaeeach.Vaginalplateabsentorprobablycompletely membra-nousandnotapparent.Spermathecadividedintotwopartsbya constriction,anarrowandcylindricalproximalpartandarounded distalone,lessstriatedthantheproximaland2.0timesitswidth.

Distribution:Argentina(nofurtherdata),Bolivia,Brazil(Ceará, MinasGerais,SãoPaulo,Paraná,RioGrandedoSul).

Materialexamined:10femalesfromcoloniesinitiatedby spec-imenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,vi.2011.K.Vairocol.

Sarcophaga (Bercaea) africa (Wiedemann, 1824)

(Figs.10,11I,and12I)

Description–differsfrommalein thefollowing:two procli-nateorbitalsetaewelldeveloped;innerverticalsetaedifferentiated ofpostocellarsetae.Tergite5withgoldenmicrotomentummore conspicuousinlateralview.Tergite6dividedintotwoplateswell separatedanddorsallyfolded;spiracle6inmembraneand spir-acle7withinthesclerite;15–16strongandlongmarginalsetae. Tergites7and8absent.Epiproctrepresentedbytwosmalldorsal plateswithoutsetae.Sternites2–4squaredshapedwithposterior marginrounded;twostrongsetaeineachangleofposterior mar-gin;sternite5quadrangularwithstrongmarginalangularsetae. Sternites6,7and8fused;Sternite6almosttwotimeswiderthan sternite5,withamediallyinterruptedrowofsetaeonposterior margin;sternite7withanoticeablyelevatedcentralarea;sternite 8likeanarrowandswollenrangefusedwiththeposteriormargin ofsternite7,withtwolateralgroupsofsetae,twostrongestsetae andmanysetulae.Vaginalplatewellsclerotized,darkerthanthe sternites,andverylong,fromthehypoprocttothemiddleof stern-ite6withamediansuture.Spermathecaovalandslightlyelongated withtransversalstriationsinallsurfaces.

Distribution:Argentina(Buenos Aires),Brazil(RiodeJaneiro, Paraná,RioGrandedoSul),CostaRica,Cuba,Mexico,Paraguay.

Materialexamined:10femalesfromcoloniesinitiatedby spec-imenscollectedinBrazil,Paraná,Curitiba,viii.2012.K.Vairocol.

Discussion

Undoubtedlythemainfemalediagnosticcharactersarein ter-minalia.However,inaforensiccontext,where,inmostofthecases, freshmaterialiscollectedatthedeathscene,theexternalcolor couldhelptoidentifysomespecies.Colorofthegena,postgena, andofthespotsintergitesandsternites,forinstance,canbevery effectiveinidentifyingsomespecies,likeS.(B.)africaandM.halli.

Ontheotherhand,otherexternalcharactersmayalsobeuseful, likethepresenceoflongsetaeintibiaandthesizeoforbitaland pos-tocellarsetae.Insomecases,theseexternalcharactersarethemain differencesbetweenmalesandfemalesofsomespecies,requiring attentionintheidentiﬁcationbecauseofthisdimorphism.

Thecharactersfromtheterminalia,suchasthemicrotomentum oftergite5,candistinguishspecieseveninthesamesubgenera, asshowedinPattonella.Thetergite6couldbedividedor undi-vided.Weconsideredasdividedtergite6whenithasevenanarrow orlarge,pigmentedornot,membraneconnectingthetwoplates, asoccursinO.paulistanensis.Oxysarcodexiahasthethreealready described states of tergite 6, entire, divided and membranous

(TibanaanddeMello-Patiu,1985).Anundividedtergite6,butwith

differentdegreesofreduction,alsooccursinNephochaetopteryx(de

Mello-PatiuandSantos,2001).Inthiswork,specieswithtergite6

undividedwereO.riograndensis,P.(S.)lambens,andM.halli. Concerningthespiracles 6and 7,all studiedspecies,except those of Peckia subgenus Pattonella, have the spiracle 6 inside themembrane andthespiracle7withinthesclerite(tergite6).

Shewell(1987)consideredthatthetergite7inSarcophagidaeis

frequentlyabsentandthetergite8isnearlyalwayspresent,but usuallyreducedtobarelateralplates.Inthiswork,weusedthe sameinterpretationandnamedastergite8thebareplatesin lat-eralpositiontothesternites7and8.Thisscleritewasvisibleonlyin OxysarcodexiaandinPeckia(Pattonella)anditspresenceandshape showedtobeanimportantcharactertodiscriminatesomefemales offorensicspeciesinSouthernBrazil.

The epiproct, if present, can appear divided and undivided

(Camargo,2014).InthisworkonlyP.(S.)lambens,P.(E.)australis,P.

(11)

likeOxysarcodexiaandNephochaetopteryxthevaginalplateisoneof themostimportantcharacterstosegregatespeciesbecauseithas conspicuousinterspeciﬁcdifferences(TibanaandMello,1983;de

Mello-PatiuandSantos,2001).Aspreviouslystated,wefoundthat

theshapeofvaginalplateisamajorcharactertoproperlyidentify O.paulistanensis,O.riograndensis,P.(E.)ﬂorencioi,P.(P.)resonaand S.(B.)africa.

Themorphologyofthespermathecaealsocanhelpthe differ-entiationofgeneraandsubgenera.InOxysarcodexiatheshapeis moreelongate(pyriform)andthestriationsareconspicuous, sim-ilarasinSarcophaga.InP.(S.)lambensandP.(E.)florencioiwhile alsoroundedit hasanopeningin ventralview,a characteristic thatwearedescribingforthefirsttime.InPeckia(Pattonella)and Microcerella,thespermathecaearequitedifferent,asitisdivided intowell-defineddistal andproximalportions,possessing some constrictionsalong.

AlthoughSarcophagidae,ingeneral,anditsfemales,in partic-ular,areconsideredhardtoidentify,thekeyandthedescriptions providedmakesthistaskpossibletoboth,taxonomistsand non-taxonomists.So,weexpectthatforensicentomologistscanidentify thenecrophagousfemaleﬂeshﬂiesinSouthernBrazilinashort timeandwithlowcost,broadeningthenumberofspeciesthatcan beusedincrimesceneinvestigations.

Conﬂictsofinterest

Theauthorsdeclarenoconﬂictsofinterest.

Acknowledgments

WethankTaxonLine–RedeParanaensedeColeções Biológi-cas–forthephotographsinthiswork.Fundingwasprovidedby Conselho NacionaldeDesenvolvimento CientíficoeTecnológico (CNPq):Ph.D.scholarship141487/2011-9(K.P.V.);researchgrant 302584/2012-9 (C.A.M.P.) and 307947/2009-2 (M.O.M.) and FundaçãoAraucariaresearchgrant686/2014(M.O.M.).

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