Abstract
The structure of scuttle fly communities in vegetative strata of a beech forest in the Montseny Natural Park (Catalonia, Spain) was compared. Window traps were used from March 1990 to March 1991. Relative abundance and species richness of scuttle flies were higher in the herb and shrub layers than in the canopy, while diversity was not significantly different between strata. Saprophagous species dominated in all strata, while the mycophagous and zoophagous species decreased with height. Herb layer was dominated by Megaselia pectoralis and M. subpleuralis. Shrub layer was dominated by M. pectoralis, M. pectorella, M. diversa, M. subpleuralis and M. superciliata. Canopy layer was dominated by M. pectorella, M. pectoralis, M. pusilla and M. diversa.
Highlights
Phoridae, a very diverse family in the order Diptera, include about 4,000 species distributed nearly 260 genera
A few works assess the Phoridae of tree canopy using yellow traps attached to the trunks of the trees, but without comparing the results with lower levels (Durska 1996, 2001, 2006), so no previous surveys show the vertical distribution of scuttle fly communities in European forests
The objective of this study is to analyse the vertical distribution of the scuttle fly communities in a beech forest of the Montseny Natural Park (Catalonia)
Summary
A very diverse family in the order Diptera, include about 4,000 species distributed nearly 260 genera. There are only a few studies on the vertical distribution of Diptera communities in European forests (e.g. Pollet & Grootaert 1991, Kampichler & Teschner 2002). A few works assess the Phoridae of tree canopy using yellow traps attached to the trunks of the trees, but without comparing the results with lower levels (Durska 1996, 2001, 2006), so no previous surveys show the vertical distribution of scuttle fly communities in European forests. The objective of this study is to analyse the vertical distribution of the scuttle fly communities in a beech forest of the Montseny Natural Park (Catalonia). The global scuttle fly data obtained in the survey of the Montseny Natural Park is given by García-Romera & Barrientos (2014a). The new species captured have been described in the paper by García-Romera & Barrientos (2014b)
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