Revision Of The New World Subgenus Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae), With A Reassessment Of Diagnostic Characters

Species of the flesh fly subgenus Cucullomyia Roback (of genus Titanogrypa Townsend) are poorly studied and scarce in field samplings. Currently, eight species are described, distributed in the Neotropical and Nearctic regions, with six exclusively Neotropical species. The available descriptions and illustrations of some species of Cucullomyia lack sufficient detail to enable their accurate identification, and some issues regarding their subgeneric inclusion are debatable. Cucullomyia spp. have mainly been diagnosed by the peculiar shape of the male cercus, in particular the broader proximal half and the robust and rounded apex in lateral view, and by presenting a patch of white setulae on the sides of the scutellum, although there are exceptions in the colouration of these setae within the subgenus. This work presents redescriptions of the species, expands the distribution of some species in Brazil, and provides an identification key for the males. We discuss some diagnostic characters of Titanogrypa (Cucullomyia), such as the presence and colour of the patch of setulae laterally on the scutellum, as well as the limits of the vesica and juxta as the most important phallic structures for the segregation of the species of this taxon. Titanogrypa rubrigaster Dodge is transferred from the subgenus Cucullomyia to the nominative subgenus Titanogrypa.