Muscidae

Key to species of Muscidae from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

We recorded a total number of 27 genera and 43 species of Muscidae (Table 1). The key includes all the species listed for the Buenos Aires province. Species names in square brackets are included on the basis of morphological characters available in the literature only. The characters used are valid for both sexes, and they are arranged from the more conspicuous to the less.

1 Proboscis strongly sclerotized, not retractable, with labella reduced, not fleshy (haematophagous species)................ 2

- Proboscis weakly sclerotized, retractable, with labella well developed............................................ 3

2 Palpus about one-third as long as labrum; meron setulose................................... Stomoxys calcitrans (L.)

- Palpus about two-third as long as labrum; meron bare...................................... Haematobia irritans (L.)

3 Presutural dorsocentrals 2............................................................................... 4

- Presutural dorsocentral 1.............................................................................. 24

4 Lower calypter narrow, rounded posteriorly (glossiform) (Fig. 1 a)............................................... 5

- Lower calypter broad, subtruncate posteriorly and with its anteromedian corner extended below scutellum (Fig. 1 b)...... 11

5 Anepimeron setulose................................................................................... 6

- Anepimeron bare..................................................................................... 16

6 Parafacial setulose; palpus strongly broadened from base to apex (Fig. 2 a); male dichoptic.......... Lispe setuligera (Stein)

- Parafacial bare (Fig. 2 b)................................................................................ 7

7 Postpedicel orange at base, with its distal part brown; palpus slender (Fig. 2 b); postsutural dorsocentrals 3; male holoptic....................................................................... Arthurella choelensis Patitucci & Mariluis

- Postpedicel with one color; postsutural dorsocentrals 4........................................................ 8

8 Node of Rs bare on dorsal surface..................................... Neomuscina zosteris (Shannon & Del Ponte)

- Node of Rs setulose on dorsal surface..................................................................... 9

9 Postpedicel yellow (Fig. 3); prosternum setulose......................................... Polietina orbitalis (Stein)

- Postpedicel dark brown to black (Fig. 4–5); prosternum bare.................................................. 10

10 Apical section of M strongly curved forward; general body coloration metallic blue (Fig. 4); katepisternal setae 1+2......................................................................... Morellia (Trichomorellia) trichops (Malloch)

- Apical section of M straight (Fig. 5); katepisternal setae 2+2.............................. Neurotrixa felsina (Walker)

11 Antenna yellow to orange; postalar wall setulose............................................................ 12

- Antenna dark brown to black; postalar wall bare............................................................ 13

12 Fronto-orbital plate and parafacial yellow (Fig. 6).......................................... Philornis seguyi Garcia

- Fronto-orbital plate and parafacial silver (Fig. 7)....................................... Philornis torquans (Nielsen)

13 Katepisternal setae 0+2................................................................................ 14

- Katepisternal setae 1+2................................................................................ 15

14 Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, and gena golden-yellow (Fig. 8)......................... Graphomya auriceps Malloch

- Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, and gena silver (Fig. 9)............................... Graphomya maculata (Scopoli)

15 Arista bare.................................................................... Synthesimyia nudiseta (Wulp)

- Arista plumose....................................................................... Musca domestica (L.)

16 General body coloration metallic black, blue, green or violet.................................................. 17

- General body coloration not metallic..................................................................... 29

17 Apical section of M strongly curved forward; postpedicel brown with grey pollinosity; lower calypter with brown margin (Fig. 10)................................................................ Myospila obscura (Shannon & Del Ponte)

- Apical section of M straight............................................................................ 18

18 General body coloration metallic black (Figs. 11 b, 12b, 13b, 14b).............................................. 19

- General body coloration metallic blue, green or violet (Figs. 15 b, 16b).......................................... 22

19 Palpus orange-yellow (Fig. 11 b). Female: ocellar triangle long and wide with a rounded apex reaching the lunule (Fig. 11 a). Male: hind trochanter on ventral surface with a tuft of fine setae........................ Ophyra aenescens (Wiedemann)

- Palpus brown or black (Fig. 12 b). Female: ocellar triangle shape not as above. Male: hind trochanter on ventral surface without a tuft of fine setae.................................................................................... 20

20 Lower calypter brown with dark brown margin (Fig. 12 b). Female: ocellar triangle long and sharpened with a rounded apex reaching the lunule (Fig. 12 a)...................................................... Ophyra albuquerquei Lopes

- Lower calypter yellowish or white with yellow or white margins (Fig. 13 b). Female: ocellar triangle shape not as above... 21

21 Arista yellow at the basal half, and black distally (Fig. 13 b). Female: ocellar triangle short, with a triangular shape not reaching lunule (Fig. 13 a). Male: fore tarsi with tarsomeres yellow on ventral surface........... Ophyra chalcogaster (Wiedemann)

- Arista brown (Fig. 14 b). Female: ocellar triangle shape not as above (Fig. 14 a). Male: fore tarsi with tarsomeres brown on ven- tral surface.................................................................. Ophyra capensis (Wiedemann)

22 Thorax dark brown with grey pollinosity; abdomen metallic green................ Psilochaeta chlorogaster (Wiedemann)

- Thorax metallic violet-blue with grey pollinosity; abdomen metallic violet-blue................................... 23

23 Distance between scapes similar to the diameter of the anterior (median) ocellus; notopleuron with setulae around the posterior seta. Females: parafacial in anterior view with well defined triangular area without pollinosity longer than pedicel (Fig. 15 a)........................................................................ Psilochaeta chalybea (Wiedemann)

- Distance between scapes shorter than the diameter of the anterior (median) ocellus; notopleuron with sparse setulae. Female: parafacial in anterior view with a narrower area without pollinosity shorter than pedicel (Fig. 16 a)...................................................................................... Psilochaeta pampiana (Shannon & Del Ponte)

24 Postsutural dorsocentrals 2............................................................................. 25

- Postsutural dorsocentrals 3............................................................................. 26

25 Mid and hind femora yellow with a dark band (Fig. 17).............................. Bithoracochaeta calopus (Bigot)

- Mid and hind femora yellow without a dark band.......................... Bithoracochaeta leucoprocta (Wiedemann)

26 Calypters of similar lenght.................................................. [Schoenomyza argyriceps Malloch]

- Lower calypter longer than upper calypter................................................................. 27

27 Wings with clouds (Fig. 18)............................................. Spathipheromyia guttipennis (Thomson)

- Wings hyaline....................................................................................... 28

28 Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, and gena grey (Fig. 19); legs yellow.................... Neodexiopsis geniculata (Bigot)

- Fronto-orbital plate, parafacial, and gena yellow (Fig. 20); legs grey.............. Neodexiopsis paulistensis Albuquerque

29 Node of Rs bare on dorsal surface....................................................................... 30

- Node of Rs setulose on dorsal surface, in some species only few and small setae................................... 35

30 Arista plumose with longest microtrichium longer than diameter of arista........................................ 31

- Arista pubescent with longest microtrichium no longer than diameter of arista.................................... 33

31 Wings with clouds on dm-cu cross-vein (Fig. 21)...................... Dolichophaonia trigona (Shannon & Del Ponte)

- Wings without clouds on dm-cu cross-vein (Figs. 22–23)..................................................... 32

32 Apical section of M curved forward (Fig. 22).......................................... Muscina stabulans (Fallén)

- Apical section of M straight (Fig. 23).............................................. Helina nivaloides Albuquerque

33 Palpus yellow with black tip...................................................... Gymnodia debilis (Williston)

- Palpus totally black................................................................................... 34

34 Crossvein dm-cu strongly curved (Fig. 24).............................................. Gymnodia delecta (Wulp)

- Crossvein dm-cu more or less straight (Fig. 25).................................. Gymnodia quadristigma (Thomson)

35 Prosternum bare...................................................................................... 36

- Prosternum setulose................................................................................. 39

36 Postpedicel orange-yellow (Fig. 26).......................................... Myospila fluminensis Couri & Lopes

- Postpedicel brown or black (Figs. 27–29).................................................................. 37

37 Postsutural dorsocentrals 4; postpedicel dark brown (Fig. 27).............................. Mydaea plaumanni Snyder

- Postsutural dorsocentrals 3............................................................................. 38

38 Legs orange-yellow; postpedicel brown; wings without a cloud on dm-cu (Fig. 28)............ Mydaea sexpunctata (Wulp)

- Legs yellow with a basal dark band on femurs; wings with a cloud on dm-cu (Fig. 29)............ Phaonia trispila (Bigot).

39 Gena strongly projected anteriorly in lateral view (Fig. 30)............................ Syllimnophora variceps Malloch

- Gena not projected anteriorly in lateral view (Fig. 31)........................................................ 40

40 Parafacial golden-yellow (Fig. 31).................................................. Limnophora aurifacies Stein

- Parafacial silver-grey.................................................................................. 41

41 Postsutural dorsocentrals 4....................................................... Limnophora narona (Walker)

- Postsutural dorsocentrals 3............................................................................. 42

42 Wing anteriorly infuscated (Fig. 32)................................................. Limnophora marginata Stein

- Wing hyaline............................................................... [Limnophora brevihirta Malloch]