Fly Genus Research Articles

A new species of Admontia Brauer & Bergenstamm from Taiwan (Diptera: Tachinidae: Exoristinae: Blondeliini)

Abstract The taxonomy of a newly recorded genus of parasitoid fly from Taiwan, Admontia quwi sp. nov. is described. Diagnostic characteristics and variations of the male post abdomen are illustrated. A key to the eight Oriental species of Admontia is provided. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4B148B4B-A132-4B85-8BFE-A6FB1129EE98 .

First screening of bacterial communities of Microdon myrmicae and its ant host: do microbes facilitate the invasion of ant colonies by social parasites?

Many studies have highlighted how numerous bacteria provide their hosts essential nutrients or protection against pathogens, parasites and predators. Nevertheless, the role of symbiotic microorganisms in the interactions between social insects and their parasites is still poorly known. Microdon (Diptera, Syrphidae) is a peculiar fly genus whose larvae are able to successfully infiltrate ant colonies and feed upon the ant brood. Using high throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we provide the first microbiome survey of Mi. myrmicae larvae and larvae and workers of its host, Myrmica scabrinodis, collected from two sites in England. We analyzed the microbiome of the external surface of the cuticle and the internal microbiome of the body separately. The results clearly show that the Mi. myrmicae microbiome significantly differs from that of its host, while no substantial dissimilarity was detected across the microbiome of ant workers and ant larvae. Microdon myrmicae microbiome varies across the two analyzed sites suggesting that bacteria communities of Mi. myrmicae are derived from the environment rather than by horizontal transmission between hosts and parasites. Families Streptococcaceae, Carnobacteriaceae and Rizhobiaceae are dominant in My. scabrinodis, and Spiroplasma is dominant in ant workers. Microbiome of Mi. myrmicae larvae is mainly characterized by the family Anaplasmataceae, with Wolbachia as predominant genus. Interestingly, we found Serratia within both Mi. myrmicae and Myrmica larvae. Bacteria of this genus are known to produce a family of pyrazines commonly involved in ant communication, which could play a role in Microdon/ant interaction.

Host shifting and host sharing in a genus of specialist flies diversifying alongside their sunflower hosts.

Congeneric parasites are unlikely to specialize on the same tissues of the same host species, likely because of strong multifarious selection against niche overlap. Exceptions where >1 congeneric species use the same tissues reveal important insights into ecological factors underlying the origins and maintenance of diversity. Larvae of sunflower maggot flies in the genus Strauzia feed on plants in the family Asteraceae. Although Strauzia tend to be host specialists, some species specialize on the same hosts. To resolve the origins of host sharing among these specialist flies, we used reduced representation genomic sequencing to infer the first multilocus phylogeny of genus Strauzia. Our results show that Helianthus tuberosus and Helianthus grosseserratus each host three different Strauzia species and that the flies co-occurring on a host are not one another's closest relatives. Though this pattern implies that host sharing is most likely the result of host shifts, these may not all be host shifts in the conventional sense of an insect moving onto an entirely new plant. Many hosts of Strauzia belong to a clade of perennial sunflowers that arose 1-2 MYA and are noted for frequent introgression and hybrid speciation events. Our divergence time estimates for all of the Helianthus-associated Strauzia are within this same time window (<1MYA), suggesting that rapid and recent adaptive introgression and speciation in Helianthus may have instigated the diversification of Strauzia, with some flies converging upon a single plant host after their respective ancestral host plants hybridized to form a new sunflower species.

A Review of the Shore Fly Genus Setacera Cresson, 1930 (Diptera, Ephydridae) in the Fauna of Russia

The shore fly genus Setacera is reviewed. It includes 5 species in Russian fauna. Diagnoses of the genus and species are represented; a key to the species is given. One species, S. trina, is new to the fauna of Russia, while S. aurata formerly considered a European species has been found in western Siberia for the first time. The Holarctic S. micans previously recorded only in the European part of Russia has also been recorded from Eastern Siberia and Kamchatka. The distribution range of S. freidbergi is extended. In addition to Israel, Iran, and Russia (Caucasus), this species has been found in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Turkmenistan for the first time.

Human african trypanosomiasis: current standing and challenges

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, and transmitted by the tsetse fly (genus Glossina), affects 36 Sub-Saharan African countries with considerable public health impact. Despite approximately 15,000 infected individuals and 70 million at risk, in recent years the World Health Organization has mentioned removal of HAT from the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases by 2020, due to the decrease in cases over the last two decades. When untreated, the disease presents high lethality rates and the available treatments are complicated to administer, highly toxic, and do not guarantee cure, especially in the advanced stages of the disease. Further, there is no prospect for vaccine development in the near future. The present review compiles information on the history of the clinical aspects of HAT, as well as its epidemiology, diagnosis, therapy, and prophylaxis, as well as updating information on the current panorama and perspectives regarding the disease.KEY WORDS: African Trypanosomiasis; neglected diseases; Trypanosoma brucei.

Heimbra Cameron, 1909 (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae, Heimbrinae): new geographical records on Central Brazil

This study focused on species of Heimbra Cameron, 1909 (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae, Heimbrinae), a small genus of chalcid flies poorly represented in entomological collections, from two Brazilian savanna areas in Central Brazil. The surveys were carried out with Malaise, Moericke, light traps and sweep net and lasted from February 2018 to May 2019. Herein we provide new geographical records to H. opaca (Ashmead, 1894) and H. parallela Stage &amp; Snelling, 1986.

Taxonomic review of the genus Pherbellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) from Korea

The Korean fauna of the snail-killing fly genus Pherbellia Robineau-Desvoidy is reviewed taxonomically. A total of five species belonging to this genus are recognized to occur in Korea. Two of these species, Pherbellia orientalis Rozkošný and Knutson, 1991 and Pherbellia shatalkini Rozkošný, 1991, are recorded for the first time from Korea. The descriptions and illustrations of these species are provided with a key to the Korean species belonging to the genus Pherbellia.

Larvae of the Genus Rainieria Rondani, 1843 (Diptera, Micropezidae)

Data on the life history and morphology of the larvae of the fly genus Rainieria are presented, viz. R. hennigi Krivosheina et Krivosheina, 1996 and R. latifrons (Loew, 1870). The larvae inhabit the bark of damaged and weakened trees. The main diagnostic characters of the larvae are listed. The larvae of this two species differ in the structure of the anterior and posterior spiracles and the cephalopharyngeal skeleton.

The thin red line between species – genomic differentiation of Gymnosoma Meigen, a taxonomically challenging genus of parasitoid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae)

AbstractIn traditional taxonomy, species are differentiated using morphological arguments, which can be subjective and cause confusion particularly when the initial species descriptions have been inadequate. The development of DNA‐based methods has provided more objective tools to recognize and quantify species differences, as well as enabled the detection of cryptic that is morphologically indistinguishable, species. Conversely, we show here that large‐scale, genome‐wide analysis of 11 427 loci and 65 825 SNPs is mostly unable to differentiate between many of the currently valid Palearctic species of bug‐killing parasitoid flies in the genus Gymnosoma Meigen (Diptera: Tachinidae), despite the proposed morphological differences. We conclude that alongside a few well‐defined taxa with discrete morphological features and unique DNA barcodes, Palearctic Gymnosoma is likely to contain a single, highly variable and geographically widespread species.

Opaluma Lessard &amp; Woodley, gen. nov: a new genus of iridescent soldier flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) from Australia, including seven new species

AbstractMany eye‐catching and undescribed species of Australian soldier flies have been collected but left undiagnosed in entomological collections. We describe Opaluma Lessard &amp; Woodley gen. nov., a new genus of iridescent soldier fly endemic to Australia from the subfamily Antissinae, and provide an updated key to the five Australian antissine genera. Seven new species are described and illustrated herein, along with an identification key to all known species. The new species are Opaluma ednae Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov., O. fabulosa Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov., O. iridescens Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov., O. opulens Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov., O. rupaul Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov., O. sapphira Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov. and O. unicornis Lessard &amp; Woodley, sp. nov. All but one are known from locations directly impacted by the recent 2019/2020 spring and summer Australian bushfires. Now that the new species are formally named and described, they may be included in future bushfire recovery monitoring programs. Eight genera of Antissinae are now recognised in the world.

A new bee-mimicking stiletto fly (Therevidae) from China discovered on iNaturalist.

The Chinese stiletto fly fauna is poorly known, with few species previously described and no endemic genera. A new genus and species of charismatic stiletto fly is described from northern China. Although the species was previously known from a poorly preserved specimen, the true form of this apparent bumble bee-mimic was not known until images of a live individual were discovered amongst photographs posted on iNaturalist, an online citizen scientist and biodiversity social network.

The evolutionary history of mariner elements in stalk-eyed flies reveals the horizontal transfer of transposons from insects into the genome of the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris.

The stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae, Diptera) are a family of approximately 100 species of calypterate dipterans, characterised by extended head capsules. Species within the family have previously been shown to possess six subfamilies of mariner transposons, with nucleotide substitution patterns suggesting that at least two subfamilies are currently active. The vertumnana subfamily has been shown to have been involved in a horizontal transfer event involving Diopsidae and a second dipteran family in the Tephritidae. Presented here are cloned and sequenced mariner elements from three further diopsid species, in addition to a bioinformatic analysis of mariner elements identified in transcriptomic and genomic data from the genus Teleopsis. The newly identified mariner elements predominantly fall into previously recognised subfamilies, however the publicly available Teleopsis data also revealed a novel subfamily. Three of the seven identified subfamilies are shown to have undergone horizontal transfer, two of which appear to involve diopsid donor species. One recipient group of a diopsid mariner is the Bactrocera genus of tephritid flies, the transfer of which was previously proposed in an earlier study of diopsid mariner elements. The second horizontal transfer, of the mauritiana subfamily, can be traced from the Teleopsis genus to the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris. The mauritiana elements are shown to be active in the recipient H. vulgaris and transposase expression is observed in all body tissues examined in both species. The increased diversity of diopsid mariner elements points to a minimum of four subfamilies being present in the ancestral genome. Both vertical inheritance and stochastic loss of TEs have subsequently occurred within the diopsid radiation. The TE complement of H. vulgaris contains at least two mariner subfamilies of insect origin. Despite the phylogenetic distance between donor and recipient species, both subfamilies are shown to be active and proliferating within H. vulgaris.

Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Meomyia Evenhuis, 1983, with description of three new species (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Bombyliini).

The endemic Australian bee fly genus Meomyia Evenhuis is revised, including six described species and three newly described: Meomyia hortorum sp. nov., Meomyia kochae sp. nov., Meomyia melanocincta sp. nov. Bombylius tetratrichus Walker is excluded from Meomyia and placed in Dissodesma Bowden Li. Meomyia is characterised by the slender and elongate antennal flagellum, and the black abdominal band and dense black tuft on apex of abdomen. A key to species of Meomyia is provided. Species are found in southern Australia.

Awareness of the existence of Leishmaniasis as Protozoan Zoonosis in Indonesia

&lt;p class="awabstrak2"&gt;Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis, neglected and poorly reported disease, caused by the protozoan Leishmania spp, genus Leishmania, transmitted through several vector species including the sand fly (gnat) genus Phlebotomus. This disease has complex ecology and epidemiology. This paper presents about Leishmaniasis disease from epidemiological aspects and risk factors; parasites, vectors and reservoirs; diseases transmission and control. &lt;em&gt;Leishmania &lt;/em&gt;spp. is an obligate intramacrophage protozoan, characterized by its kinetoplast, a unique form of mitochondrial DNA. Clinical manifestations of Leishmaniasis depend on interactions between the characteristics of Leishmania species and the human host immune response, resulting in a diseases spectrum ranging from local lesions on the skin to diffuse involvement of the reticuloendothelial system. There are four forms of Leishmaniasis in humans with various clinical manifestations, namely visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar (KA), Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL), Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis (MCL) and Diffuse Cutaneous Leshmaniasis (DCL). Leishmaniasis caused by &lt;em&gt;Leismania infantum&lt;/em&gt; is the most dangerous disease, but is never found in Indonesia. Leishmaniasis needs to be aware in Indonesia as tropical country that is suitable for the habitat of sand flies (Phlebotomus). The best method for controlling this disease is effective vector control and reduced contact between humans and vectors.&lt;/p&gt;

Occurrence and monthly dynamics of phlebotomine sand flies in parts of Sokoto State, north-west Nigeria

Phlebotomine sand flies are small tropical insects that have been implicated as vectors of several disease agents, including those responsible for the various forms of leishmaniasis. A study to determine the occurrence and monthly dynamics of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) was conducted in three Local Government Areas (Wamakko, Sokoto South and Kware) of Sokoto State, Nigeria between May-November, 2016. A total of 1260 flies were collected using modified sticky traps placed in the various biotope types (refuse dumps and sewage tanks). Two sand fly genera Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia were encountered. It was also observed that males account for 860(68.3%) while the total number of female specimens was 400(31.7%). More flies were captured in Wamakko LGA of the State with a total number of 757 samples (60.1%), followed by Sokoto South LGA with a total number of 503(39.9%). Refuse dumps harboured 1,149 flies (91.2%) more than sewage tanks with a total number of 111(8.8%). No flies were captured in Kware LGA. Sand flies were more abundant in the peak rainy season of August and September and less or absent in the dry months. It was observed that rainfall and relative humidity were essential meteorological factors that determined the occurrence of sand flies in the study area. This study confirmed the occurrence of phlebotomine sand flies and the possibility of Leishmania transmission in the study-area.&#x0D; Keywords: Occurrence; sand flies; Phlebotomus; Sergentomyia; Leishmania; Sokoto.

The genus Afrosyrphus Curran (Diptera, Syrphidae), with a description of a new species

The flower fly genus Afrosyrphus Curran, 1927 (Diptera, Syrphidae) is revised and a new species, Afrosyrphus schmuttereri sp. nov., from Kenya and Uganda is described. Diagnoses, illustrations, DNA barcodes and known distributional data are provided for the two species of this genus, as well as an identification key. A critical review of the published literature is also provided.

A new genus for Painter amp; Painter's Villa "celer"-group in the New World(Diptera: Bombyliidae).

The bee fly genus Hemipenthes Loew in the New World reflects a heterogeneous assemblage of species. Study of species attributed to Painter Painter's 1962 Villa "celer" group (the species were later transferred to Hemipenthes) from the southern United States, and Central and South America shows a suite of characters that separate it from Hemipenthes s. str. and it is here described as the new genus Ins Evenhuis, n. gen. with its type species Anthrax ignea Macquart. Eight described species are here transferred to Ins: Ins celeris (Wiedemann, 1828), n. comb., Ins constituta (Walker, 1852), n. comb.; Ins curta (Loew, 1869), n. comb., Ins ignea (Macquart, 1846), n. comb.; Ins leucocephala (Wulp, 1886), n. comb., Ins martinorum (Painter, 1962), n. comb., Ins minas (Macquart, 1848), n. comb., and Ins pleuralis (Williston, 1901), n. comb. Two new species, Ins pectorcolumbo Evenhuis, n. sp. from El Salvador and Ins zanouts Evenhuis, n. sp. from Panama and Costa Rica are described and illustrated. The holotype of Anthrax divisa Walker, 1852, has been examined and found to be conspecific with Ins minas (Macquart, 1848), n. syn., and Anthrax galathea Osten Sacken, 1886 is found to be synonymous with Ins constituta (Walker, 1852), n. syn. Two other South American species currently in Hemipenthes, H. melaleuca (Wiedemann), and H. ruficollis (Bigot) are here transferred to Chrysanthrax, n. combs. A key to species in the genus is given.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;First record of two interesting genera of hover flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in South India&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The bee mimicking hover fly genus Volucella Geoffroy, 1762 and the potter wasp mimicking genus Monoceromyia Shannon, 1922 are reported for the first time from South India. Brief diagnosis of Volucella trifasciata Wiedemann, 1830 and Monoceromyia javana (Wiedemann, 1824), high-resolution images of the habitus and other important characters, as well as notes on their distribution, mimicry and biology are provided. Key words: Volucella, Monoceromyia, batesian mimicry, new record, range extension

New geographical records and key to the species of Eumerus Meigen, 1823 (Diptera, Syrphidae) introduced into the Americas and Hawaii

Abstract Eumerus Meigen, 1823 is a very speciose genus of flower flies from the Eastern Hemisphere. Several reports of introduced species of this genus in the Americas have been recorded since early in the twentieth century, with a present list of six species recorded to date from the Americas and the US territory of Hawaii. In this paper we give new geographical records for the African-native species Eumerus obliquus (Fabricius, 1805), which reflect the expansion of this fly through Brazil and Paraguay along the last twenty years. At the same time, we report a second species from Paraguay, Eumerus aurifrons (Wiedemann, 1824), being this the first Western Hemisphere record for this Asian-native species. We finally provide an identification key to all of the species of Eumerus presently known from the Americas and Hawaii.

Pseudoleria pectinata (Loew, 1872) – a new genus and species of heleomyzid fly introduced into the European fauna (Diptera: Heleomyzidae)

One female specimen of Pseudoleria pectinata (LOEW, 1872) was identified from photos taken at the Spanish Atlantic coast by Antonio J. PIZARRO MÉNDEZ, an amateur biologist. The species was observed in nature, in Rota, Spain, on 6th December 2019, and after detailed identification process, it was recorded for the first time in Europe. The pictures concerning the Pseudoleria pectinata specimen and the diagnostic features are presented. A discussion concerning the utilization of citizen science to help monitor invasive or introduced animals is included.