Key to male Sarcophaga spp. of the ‘Big Yellows’ group

1. Thorax strikingly golden yellow with strongly contrasting black stripes dorsally; abdomen either extensively golden yellowish or entirely black, and without the usual chequerboard pattern of grey, black and silvery................ ‘Big Yellows’ … 2

- Thorax not striking golden yellow; abdomen neither extensively golden yellowish nor entirely black................................................................................................. Other species of Sarcophaga

2. Thorax dorsally with two strong black stripes and with a faint or narrow dark median stripe; proanepisternum bare.......................................................................... S. (Chrysosarcophaga) superba (Townsend)

- Thorax dorsally with three strong, black stripes; proanepisternum setose.................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia).... 3

3. Wing membrane orange or yellow proximal to crossveins. Hind femur curved.Abdomen ventrally with yellowish setae. Sternite 4 posterior margin medially with unmodified setae. Lateral stylus large and broad.................................. 4

- Wing membrane blackish, brownish or hyaline proximal to crossveins. Hind femur straight. Abdomen ventrally with black setae. Sternite 4 posterior margin medially with a patch of short, densely set setae. Lateral stylus slender, tube-shaped..... 5

4. Sternite 5 V-shaped. Lateral stylus funnel-like expanded distally, with a tapering ventral process, and apically with dense microvilli.............................................................. S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) vanuatu Pape

- Sternite 5 U-shaped. Lateral stylus broadly sickle-shaped in lateral view, without a ventral process or microvilli................................................................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) hugoi Pape

5. Hypandrium with posterior margin folding downwards as a pair of rugose or striated lobes (Fig. 7); lateral stylus with distal fourth partly membranous.............................................................................. 6

- Hypandrium with posterior margin unmodified, not folding downwards; lateral stylus sclerotized to the tip.............. 8

6. Cercus with dorsal surface bare. Pregonite simple, not split. Apical hook of vesica without or with a short subapical constriction or ‘neck’. Lateral stylus less than twice as long as juxta....................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) whitneyi (Curran)

- Cercus dorsally with robust setae at least in the middle. Pregonite deeply split. Apical hook of vesica on a long, slender ‘neck’. Lateral stylus at least twice as long as juxta................................................................. 7

7. Pregonite with larger tip pointed. Vesica slender, without a subapical tooth (Fig. 18). Lateral stylus slender, more than twice as long as juxta and with distinct serration along concave surface (Figs 8, 9).................................................................................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) isorokui (Shinonaga & Kano)

- Pregonite with larger tip blunt. Vesica broad, with a subapical tooth (Fig. 21). Lateral stylus more robust, about twice as long as juxta, and without serration along concave surface....................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) narabondxii sp. nov.

8. Abdomen entirely black................................................................................ 9

- Abdomen mostly yellow............................................................................... 11

9. Occiput with only golden setae. Gena with only golden setae. Distal third of cercus perfectly straight, bare (Fig. 19). Pregonite deeply cleft. Vesica broad and almost trapezoidal in lateral view, with the apical hook abruptly set off from remaining vesica (Fig. 19).......................................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) magnifica (Baranov)

- Occiput with black setae in dorsal part. Gena with some or all setae black. Distal third of cercus gently curved or undulant. Pregonite with a shallow cleft. Vesica not particularly broad, and the apical hook either undeveloped or gradually set off from remaining vesica..................................................................................... 10

10. Wing blackish proximal to crossveins. Cercus undulant; without particularly strong, spike-like setae proximal to tip. Vesica bulky at base and with small, recurved tip................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) piciventris Pape

- Wing light brownish or dark orange proximal to crossveins. Cercus almost straight; with a patch of strong, spike-like setae proximal to tip. Vesica with slender base and pickaxe-like distal part.................................................................................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) nigridorsalis (Shinonaga & Kano)

11. Antenna orange. Palpus orange......................................... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) aureifacies (Lopes)

- Antenna dark brown or greyish black. Palpus greyish black................................................... 12

12. Juxta tapering into a slender tip.............................. S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) malaitensis (Shinonaga & Kano)

- Juxta abruptly terminated.............................................................................. 13

13. Juxta with distal margin simple. Lateral stylus at most a little longer than juxta.... S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) separata (Lopes)

- Juxta with distal margin forming a fold. Lateral stylus about twice as long as juxta................................. 14

14. All genal setae black, postgenal setae yellowish. Sternite 4 at posterior margin with broad patch of tightly set, robust setae extending across the entire margin and almost level with the surrounding surface. Cercus gently curved. Pregonite with largely straight anterior and posterior margins, resembling a long triangle. Vesica gradually expanding apically and reaching level of tip of juxta............................................................ S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) confusio sp. nov.

- Genal setae black in upper half, yellowish on lower half, postgenal setae yellowish. Sternite 4 at posterior margin with very tightly set, robust setae arranged in a patch occupying about half of the margin and raised slightly but distinctly above the adjacent surface. Cercus curved in an almost perfect half-circle. Pregonite with gently curved anterior and posterior margins. Vesica with middle part parallel-sided and ending well before tip of juxta............. S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) stylata Pape

Distribution of Sarcophaga species in the ‘Big Yellows’ group:

[Based on Lopes (1967), Lopes & Kano (1978, 1981) and the present paper. For nomenclature, see Pape (1996).]

S. (Chrysosarcophaga) superba (Townsend, 1933) [Solomon Islands: Bougainville, Guadalcanal, Malaita]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) aureifacies (Lopes, 1967) [Bismarck Islands: New Ireland]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) confusio sp. nov. [Bismarck Islands: New Britain]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) hugoi Pape, 1996 [Vanuatu]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) isorokui (Shinonaga & Kano, 1993) [Solomon Islands: Bougainville]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) magnifica (Baranov, 1938) [Solomon Islands: Guadalcanal, Kolombangara, Malaita, New Georgia, Vella Lavella]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) malaitensis (Shinonaga & Kano, 1993) [Solomon Islands: Malaita]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) narabondxii sp. nov. [Solomon Islands: Nggele Islands]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) nigridorsalis (Shinonaga & Kano, 1993) [Solomon Islands: Malaita]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) piciventris Pape, 1996 [Bismarck Islands: Manus]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) separata (Lopes, 1967) [Bismarck Islands: New Ireland]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) stylata Pape, 1996 [Bismarck Islands: New Ireland]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) vanuatu Pape, 1996 [Vanuatu]

S. (Sarcorohdendorfia) whitneyi (Curran, 1936) [Bismarck Islands: New Britain; Solomon Islands: Bougainville, Guadalcanal]