Fly Genus Research Articles

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.

An enigma no more: an integrated taxonomic revision of Aenigmetopia Malloch reveals novel phylogenetic placement and four new species (Diptera : Sarcophagidae : Miltogramminae)

Aenigmetopia Malloch is the only endemic genus of miltogrammine flesh flies (Diptera:Sarcophagidae) in Australia and, until now it has been known from a single species, A. fergusoni Malloch. This study constitutes the first comprehensive taxonomic revision of Aenigmetopia. Four new species, Aenigmetopia amissa, sp. nov., A. corona, sp. nov., A. kryptos, sp. nov. and A. pagoni, sp. nov., are described through the integration of molecular and morphological data and characters for genus- and species-level diagnoses are given. Aenigmetopia is included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis for the first time and the genus emerges as the sister taxon to Metopia Meigen, in agreement with morphological evidence.

Hidden biodiversity revealed by DNA barcoding in black fly genus Simulium

The black fly genus Simulium Latreille is one of the most important medical insect group of the family Simuliidae (Diptera) and many species of this genus are important pests of human and animals, while some of them also represent vectors of pathogens. Correct species identification is essential to the implementation of control measures for species of medical or agricultural importance. In this study, the usefulness of DNA barcoding was discussed in distinguishing species of Simulium. Analysis showed hidden biodiversity, usually referred to in Simuliidae as cryptic species, which was detected in 15 species. Firstly, intraspecific divergences of eleven species was unexpectedly high and the maximum distances of them ranged from 5.1-16.8%. Based on the differential of K2P (Kimura 2-Parameter) distances, sequences were subdivided into two or three groups, respectively. Secondly, extremely low interspecific divergences were detected in eight groups of species, and shared haplotypes were also found among them. Furthermore, the subdivision within species and shared haplotypes among some species were all supported by the NJ (Neighbour-Joining) analysis. Our results confirmed that DNA barcoding was a powerful tool for revealing hidden species diversity of black flies. Further work is needed to reveal ambiguous species delimitation in some problematic species groups.

A new species of genus Anagrus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) from India

One new species, Anagrus amrauliensis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), of fairy fly genus Anagrus Haliday is described and illustrated from India. This species belongs to subgenus Anagrus s. str. and included in the atomus group of Anagrus Haliday.

Additional DNA barcodes confirm recent morphological species conceptsand synonymies in Callomyia Meigen (Diptera: Platypezidae).

Cumming Wheeler (2016) revised the Nearctic species of the sexually dimorphic flat-footed fly genus Callomyia Meigen (Callomyiinae) recognizing 10 Nearctic species, including three newly described taxa, namely C. argentea Cumming, C. arnaudi Cumming, and C. browni Cumming. They also described the unknown female of C. velutina Johnson and proposed three new synonymies associating species previously described from one sex only with others described from the opposite sex (Kessel 1948; Kessel Buegler 1972). Callomyia cleta Kessel was considered a junior synonym of C. calla Kessel, C. clara Kessel was considered a junior synonym of C. corvina Kessel, and C. liardia Kessel Buegler was synonymized with C. proxima Johnson.

Revision of the Australian bee fly genus Sisyromyia White, 1916 (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae, Acrophthalmydini).

We review Sisyromyia White (Bombyliidae, Bombyliinae), a remarkable Australian endemic bee fly genus, which includes 11 species, including six species we describe as new here: Sisyromyia albisquama sp. nov., Sisyromyia angustivitta sp. nov., Sisyromyia elongata sp. nov., Sisyromyia maculipennis sp. nov., Sisyromyia umbra sp. nov., Sisyromyia vittata sp. nov. The genus can be easily distinguished from other Australian genera in the subfamily by having a one-segmented antennal flagellum, subapex of flagellum with some long hairs; a pale median stripe present on the abdomen consisting of dense, decumbent short scales, cell r5 open; cell br nearly as long as cell bm, crossvein m-m located on base of cell dm; crossvein m-m long, nearly as long as crossvein r-m. We also recognized one new synonym, and propose a new combination for Sisyromyia binghi Evenhuis. A key to species of Sisyromyia is provided, and we extensively illustrate their internal and external morphology.

Gedanoleria eocenica – a new genus and species from Eocene Baltic amber (Diptera: Heleomyzidae), with notes on heleomyzid-like flies from African copal

Abstract A new genus and species of a handsome heleomyzid fly, Gedanoleria eocenica gen. nov., sp. nov. (Diptera: Heleomyzidae), is described from Baltic amber. The newly described genus is compared with similar extant and extinct genera. The heleomyzid-like flies described by Meunier from African copal are treated as nomina dubia. A checklist and a key to the genera of Heleomyzidae reported from fossil resins are also provided.

Muscle attachment site patterns for species determination in West Palaearctic Wohlfahrtia (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of medical and veterinary importance

The flesh fly genus Wohlfahrtia Brauer & Bergenstamm contains at least six species of medical and veterinary importance. Traditional methods of species identification in specimens of Wohlfahrtia, however, are restricted mostly to adult forms. Muscle attachment site (MAS) patterns allow for species determination in larval forms. MAS patterns in third instar larvae of six common West Palearctic species of Wohlfahrtia have been analyzed for this study. As in previously investigated Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae, MAS patterns were found to be species specific. A genus pattern was established to be used as base for comparison in further species determination. For the first time a tool is provided for species identification of such broad range in larvae of Wohlfahrtia species. Wohlfahrtia patterns are composed of a significantly higher number of MAS than patterns found in Sarcophaga. Specifics of the six species analyzed are explained in detail. The larvae of the well-known species W. magnifica, an obligate traumatic myiasis agent, had to be excluded from the analysis as a great number of spines on the outside obscure muscle attachment sites on the inside of the cuticle.

Assessing Species Identification of the Genus Chrysomya (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by DNA Barcoding

Chrysomya Robineau-Desvoidy is one of the most forensically important blow fly genera. The disadvantages of morphological taxonomy have resulted in numerous synonyms and caused problems in the species identification of this genus. In recent years, DNA barcoding (partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene) has become a useful and popular tool for overcoming these difficulties. However, relevant studies generally focus on forensically-related species in specific regions. The insufficient sampling within specific genera in these studies limits their application in uninvestigated areas and precludes further insights into the actual availability of DNA barcoding for species identification. For this, the majority of currently available barcoding sequences of Chrysomya species are involved in a molecular analysis using different species delimitation methods. The results indicate that only up to 20 of 26 Chrysomya species can be distinctly separated from the others. With the integration of other information and a secondary genetic marker, the remaining ambiguous Chrysomya species are expected to be correctly separated.

Review of the Nearctic genus Wilcoxia James (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae), with descriptions of three new species.

The robber fly genus Wilcoxia is revised based on external morphological features of adults. For each species the following is provided: type specimen information, diagnostic features, description, natural history including associated prey data, and geographical distribution (derived from georeferenced localities for both examined specimens and literature records). A key to adults of Wilcoxia, supplemented with photographs of habitus and selected morphological features, is included. The genus comprises eight species, distributed primarily in the southwestern United States. Three new species are described: W. apache (type locality: New Mexico, Quay County, Apache Canyon), W. flavipennis (type locality: Arizona, Pima County, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument), and W. forbesi (type locality: New Mexico, Doña Ana County, 1 mi. NW Tortugas Mt.). There appear to be two reasonably well-defined species groups (cinerea and martinorum groups, with four species in each), based on structural features, seasonality and natural history. Identified prey items (for W. apache, W. forbesi and W. martinorum) include representatives from Hemiptera (eight families), Coleoptera (one family), Hymenoptera (five families) and Diptera (10 families). A discussion on the structural heterogeneity of Wilcoxia and a history of its classification are provided.

Two new species of Rohdendorfia (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Central Asia

Abstract Two new species of the flower fly genus Rohdendorfia Smirnov, 1924 (Diptera: Syrphidae) are described, Rohdendorfia bella Mengual, sp. nov. and Rohdendorfia khakimovi Barkalov, sp. nov. A full description and images of both new species are given, as well as an identification key for the species of this genus. Molecular sequences from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene and nuclear ribosomal 28S and 18S rRNA genes are also provided for the new species. The studied specimens of Rohdendorfia bella Mengual, sp. nov. are the first record of the genus Rohdendorfia from India and represent the first individuals collected in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Neriidae (Diptera) of Southeast Asia: A taxonomic revision of the genus Telostylus

The Asian neriid fly genus Telostylus Bigot (Diptera: Neriidae) is revised, including a key and illustrations of its species. Lectotype designations are proposed for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere, T. decemnotatus Hendel, T. remipes (Walker) and T. trilineatus de Meijere. Two new species are described: Telostylus marshalli Sepulveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Sarawak, Malaysia, and T. whitmorei Sepulveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Masbate, Philippines. The morphology of Telostylus binotatus Bigot and T. remipes (Walker) is discussed in order to support their synonymy. Additionally, new country records are provided for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere for Philippines, T. binotatus Bigot for Papua New Guinea, T. inversus Hennig for Malaysia and Indonesia, and T. trilineatus de Meijere for Malaysia and Philippines.

Additional records of the tropical nest fly, Passeromyia heterochaeta Villeneuve, 1915 (Diptera: Muscidae) from western Iran supported by DNA barcoding

Passeromyia is a genus of flies associated with birds’ nests. Adults of Passeromyia heterochaeta were found within the houses near to domestic pigeon nests in Lorestan Province, western Iran. Flies were identified at the genus level by analysis of COI sequences of a representative specimen. Then, the specimens were identified according to morphological characteristics as P. heterochaeta and the sequence was submitted to the GenBank under this name. DNA barcoding approach can be used for approximate identification before using morphological keys.

The genus Rhabdomastix Skuse in Australia (Diptera: Tipuloidea: Limoniidae).

The crane fly genus Rhabdomastix Skuse, 1890 is briefly introduced, the four species hitherto known from Australia are reviewed. The male of R. tonnoirana Alexander, 1934 and the female of R. wilsoniana Alexander, 1934 are described for the first time and R. minima Alexander, 1926 is considered as nomen dubium. A further eight Australian species are described as new, their affinities and distributions are discussed. They are R. borroloola sp. nov., R. dobrotworskyi sp. nov., R. dooragana sp. nov., R. hirsuta sp. nov., R. nivalis sp. nov., R. ponticulus sp. nov., R. collessiana sp. nov., R. rosae sp. nov. A key to the males of Australian Rhabdomastix is presented.

Environmental niche modeling for some species of the genus Anthrax Scopoli (Diptera: Bombyliidae) in Egypt, with special notes on St. Catherine protected area as a suitable habitat

The genus Anthrax Scopoli is a well-known genus of bee flies, with 16 species recorded from Egypt, out of about 250 species known worldwide. Six of these species seem to be endangered or threatened (at least in a part of their distribution range) as they disappeared from most of their Egyptian localities which faced severe changes in the floral and faunal composition during the last 50 years. These changes may be attributed to urbanization or modern agricultural activities that caused severe degradation of natural habitats of these species. Maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling was used to predict the potential climatic niches of these six Anthrax species, namely: Anthrax aethiops, Anthrax chionanthrax, Anthrax dentate, Anthrax melanista, Anthrax lucidus, and Anthrax trifasciatus. The Maxent model performed better than random for the six species, with an average test AUC value of 0.95 for A. aethiops bezzii, 0.83 for A. chionanthrax, and 0.98 for A. dentate, 0.86 for A. melanista, 0.96 for A. lucidus and 0.99 for A. trifasciatus. A set of four variables were selected for each species from 19 bioclimatic and 3 topographic variables, based on correlation analyses. The study showed that the current distributions of A. dentata, A. lucidus and A. trifasciatus were largely explained by the altitude, but A. chionanthrax and A. melanista were so far dominated by temperature, whereas on A. aethiops bezzii was strongly related to precipitation variables. St. Catherine protected area showed high habitat suitability for all species except A. lucidus. The suitable habitat for A. trifasciatus was restricted to this protected area, however, future scenarios of climatic changes through the area predict a great degradation in habitat suitability for this species. These results can be used for making powerful conservation management decisions in St. Catherine Protectorate to incorporate these Anthrax spp. in any present or future conservation programs.

New stiletto flies in the genus Anabarhynchus Macquart (Diptera: Therevidae)from Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Anabarhynchus Macquart 1848 is a species-rich genus of stiletto flies (Diptera: Therevidae) belonging to the subfamily Therevinae, with over 113 species described from Australia. These flies are diverse and abundant in Australia's eucalypt woodland and mallee habitats. Here we describe, diagnose and illustrate a further three new Anabarhynchus species in the genus as follows: A. aurantilateralis sp. nov. and A. halmaturinus sp. nov., and A. venabrunneis sp. nov., from Kangaroo Island. These new species bring the total number of described Australian species in the genus to 116, with 13 of these known to occur on Kangaroo Island.

Co-existing species of Drapetis Meigen in Skåne (S Sweden) with description of a new species and a key to males of NW European species (Diptera: Hybotidae).

Drapetis is a genus of tiny predaceous hybotid flies found frequently on the bark of trees. From a single locality in province Skåne (S Sweden) we report the co-existence of seven species of Drapetis. One is new and described as D. abrollensis sp. nov., and four species, D. assimilis (Fallén), D. completa Kovalev, D. infitialis Collin and D. stackelbergi Kovalev, are relatively recent additions to the list of Swedish Diptera. A key to males of the 14 species of Drapetis known from NW Europe is given. Special emphasis is given to modifications of the midleg cuticle observed in males of several species that belong to the D. exilis-species group. As shown by SEM images these modifications differ greatly between the species, both at light microscopic and ultrastructural levels. These modifications are introduced as a new set of characters in the identification key. Finally, brochosomes were detected on the midleg of three SEM-examined Drapetis species, documenting indirectly that small leafhoppers are regularly used as prey.

The Louse Flies Ornithophila metallica (Schiner, 1864) and O. gestroi (Rondani, 1878) (Diptera, Hippoboscidae): Distribution and Association with Birds in the Palaearctic

New data are given on distribution and bird host associations of two species of the louse fly genus Ornithophila Rondani, 1878 in Eastern Europe and North Asia. Ornithophila metallica (Schiner, 1864) is recorded for the first time for Tajikistan and China. It is confirmed that this species mostly parasitizes adults and nestlings of small passerines. Ornithophila gestroi (Rondani, 1878) is recorded for the first time for Armenia (Yerevan) and Mongolia, and the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni is recorded for the first time as its host.

The first representative of the fly genus Trentepohlia subgenus Mongoma in amber from the Miocene of Sumatra (Diptera: Limoniidae)

ABSTRACT The limoniid fly Trentepohlia (Mongoma) pouilloni n. sp. Ngô-Muller, Garrouste & Nel, is the first fossil insect to be described from Sumatra. On the basis of its wing morphology and venation, it is very similar to the extant Sumatran species Trentepohlia (Mongoma) pennipes (Osten Sacken, 1888), supporting a Miocene rather than older age for the amber. By comparison with the few available data on the biology of the extant species of the subgenus Mongoma, it probably lived in a warm and humid forest where it was trapped in dipterocarpacean resin. The wide Cenozoic distribution of the subgenus Mongoma in Europe and South-East Asia is in accordance with its extant circumtropical distribution.