Zoogeographical analysis of the hoverfly fauna (Diptera, Syrphidae) of the northwestern Caucasus

Abstract

The hoverfly fauna of the northwestern Caucasus comprises 257 species of 72 genera. They possess 32 types of ranges that could be united into 11 groups of ranges. Widespread species from the basis of the hoverfly fauna in the region: species with narrower ranges, those distributed in more than one zoogeographical region, and those distributed in more than one dominion, constitute 12.9%, 63.1%, and 24% of the fauna, respectively. The hoverfly fauna of the northwestern Caucasus is composed of nemoral species common for Europe and Mediterranean basin, and also by species widespread in the Palaearctic (92.9%). Autochthomous species constitute 5.5%, and species of the eastern Palaearctic origin, 1.6%. Hoverfly species with zoophagous larvae are the most widespread. The fraction of such species is low among species with narrowly local ranges (12.5%) and high among species with ranges including more than one dominion. Phytophagous species are wider represented among hoverflies with narrowly local ranges (44.7%) than among flies with interdominion ranges (8%). Ranges of dendrobiontic saprophagous species are determined by the presence of arboreal vegetation and no widespread polytopic hoverflies are found in this group. The distribution of mycetophagous species, commensals, and terrestrial saprophagous species is determined by the presence of fungi, ranges of some hymenopterans, and the presence of decaying plant remnants.