Morellia (Morellia) biseta van Emden 1965

6. Morellia (M.) biseta van Emden, 1965

(Figs 27–32)

Morellia biseta van Emden, 1965: 110. Type locality: SRI LANKA, North Central Province, Habarane. Holotype Ƌ, BMNH (seen).

Redescription. Colour. Thorax metallic black with three silver vittae on mesonotum and two on scutellum. Frontal vitta black; fronto-orbital plate, face, parafacial and gena black with silver pruinosity; antenna black with grey pruinosity; palpus brown; pleura and sternum silver pruinose; legs dark brown; haltere yellow; calypters yellow, upper calypter on outer half white and opaque and with brownish edge; wing without dark markings; abdomen with a shifting tessellated pattern.

Male. Body length: 8.0–9.0 mm; wing length: 7.0–9.0 mm.

Head. Eyes bare, separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.11–0.15 of head width; frons divergent towards lunule; ocellar triangle with a pair of setae and a few setulae; 14–16 pairs of frontal setae, the uppermost 2 or 3 weaker; postpedicel about 1.8–2.3 times the length of pedicel; pedicel with 2 setae; arista plumose, with 23–27 cilia, bare apicad, with some secondary plumes as far as level of 6th to 8th cilia; vibrissa shorter than arista, 1 strong supravibrissal seta, half as long as vibrissa, and many other setulae that extend to level of basal fourth of postpedicel; 5 subvibrissal setae followed by 7–10 genal setae.

Thorax. Acrostichals 0+2; dorsocentrals 2+4; intra-alars 1+1; presutural 1; prealar 1, half the length of first supra-alar; supra-alars 2; postpronotals 3; notopleuron with 2 long, subequal setae and covered with groundsetulae; postalars 2; intrapostalar 1; scutellum with 1 basal, 1 latero-discal, 2 dorsal and 1 apical pairs of setae, and latero-ventrally with many setae, the basalmost ones downcurved; postalar wall bare; suprasquamal ridge bare; proepisternal depression bare; proepimeron with about 4 long setae and many setulae; prosternum broad and setulose; anepisternum with a posterior row of about 10 setae, with 2–3 weak setae upcurved on upper-anterior corner, and covered with short setulae; katepisternals 1+2; anepimeron extensively setulose; katepimeron with 1 or 2 setulae; anatergite bare; katatergite setulose. Legs: fore femur with a posterodorsal row of setae on apical twothirds, becoming shorter basad, a posterior row of some much shorter setae on basal third, and a complete posteroventral row of setae; fore tibia with a row of short setae on anterior to anterodorsal surfaces, a dorsal preapical seta and 1 posteroventral apical seta; mid femur without a tubercle, with 1 anterior seta on middle third and 3 posterior to posterodorsal preapical setae, and only short setulae ventrally; mid tibia with an anterodorsal row of very short setae, 2 short posterior setae on middle third, 3 posteroventral setae on basal half, 2 strong ventral setae on apical half, and 2 anteroventral, 2 ventral and 1 posteroventral apical setae; hind femur with an anterodorsal row of setae, an anteroventral row of subequal setae on apical half, 7–8 short posteroventral setae on basal half and few posteroventral setulae on apical fourth; hind tibia with 5–7 short anteroventral setae on apical two-thirds, an anterodorsal row of short setae with 1 or 2 longer ones at middle, a posterodorsal row of short setae with 2 longer ones on basal and middle third, a brush of short setulae on apical third, 1 dorsal and no anterodorsal preapical setae, 2 anteroventral, 1 anterior, 1 anterodorsal, 1 dorsal, 1 posterodorsal and no posteroventral apical setae; hind tarsus without modifications in shape or bristling. Wing with a uniform covering of microtrichia; dm-cu almost sinuous; stem-vein bare on dorsal surface, and ventrally with about 5 short setulae before the humeral crossvein and bare after humeral cross-vein; R2+3 bare on dorsal and ventral surfaces; R4+5 with setulae on dorsal surface from base to midway to r-m and on ventral surface from base to one third of way to r-m; 6–5 strong setae on basicosta.

Abdomen. With lateral tufts of setulae and 1 or 2 setae on tergites; tergite 4 with setae medially and apically; tergite 5 with downcurved apical setae; sternite 1 setulose; sternite 5 longer than broad (Fig. 27).

Terminalia. Outer middle third of cercal plate convex (Fig. 28); surstylus with setae on basal half (Fig. 29); aedeagal apodeme narrowed apically; aedeagus bare; gonopod with a long and strong seta on middle third; paramere with setae on middle and apical thirds (Fig. 30).

Female. Body length: 8.0 mm; wing length: 7.0–8.0 mm.

Similar to male, differing as follows: eyes separated at level of anterior ocellus by about 0.33–0.35 of head; fronto-orbital plate with 2 proclinate setae, the lower one stronger, few proclinate setulae, and 1 reclinate seta; posterior row of anepisternum without few setulae; mid femur and mid tibia with 1 ventral seta.

Ovipositor. Tergite 6 rod-like, with 3–4 very small spines posteriorly; tergite 7 rod- like, with two very small spines posteriorly; tergite 8 rod-like, posteriorly enlarged and curved; enlarged spicules on intersegmental membrane between segments 6–7 and 7–8; sternite 6 short and rod-like, with 9 very small spines posteriorly; sternite 7 rod-like, with three groups of 2–3 very small spines posteriorly; sternite 8 as two very small plates, each with a very small spine; epiproct very small, with 4 small spines; hypoproct with many setae; cercus flattened and short (Figs 31–32).

Material examined. SRI LANKA: North Central Province, Habarane, forest, on flowers, 27.xii.1924, R. Senior-White, holotype Ƌ (BMNH); Central Province, Kandy, 12.ix.1953, F. Keiser, 1 Ƌ paratype (BMNH); THAILAND: Burma Border, 1200 m, 26.ix.1975, W. Tumrasvin, 1 ♀ (BMNH).

Distribution. ORIENTAL: Nepal, Bangladesh, India (Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu), Sri Lanka, Flores, Sulawesi, Thailand.