Fly Genus Research Articles

A revision of the Afrotropical hover fly genus Afroxanthandrus Kassebeer, 2000 (Diptera, Syrphidae), with the description of two new species and one new synonymy

The hover fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) genus Afroxanthandrus Kassebeer, 2000 is revised based on morphological and molecular characters. Two new species, Afroxanthandrus comorosensis sp. nov., and Afroxanthandrus conopeum sp. nov. are described, while Xanthandrus magnificus Thompson, 2019 is a new junior synonym of Afroxanthandrus congensis (Curran, 1938). We also redescribe A. congensis stat. rev. and A. longipilus stat. rev. and report additional distribution records for both species.

A new species of Alipumilio Shannon, 1927 (Diptera: Syrphidae), with the description of the male of A. avispas Vockeroth, 1964 and A. femoratus Shannon, 1927

Alipumilio Shannon, 1927 is a flower fly genus endemic to the New World, comprising five described species. In the present study we describe Alipumulio aureus sp. nov. from the Colombian Amazon region. This is the first record of this genus from Colombia. Additionally, the male of A. avispas Vockeroth, 1964 is described from Peru and the male of A. femoratus Shannon, 1927 is described from new material collected in Ecuador. Moreover, we provide an identification key to all the Alipumilio species and a species distribution map.

Puliciphora Dahl (Diptera: Phoridae) in Wales

A male of the scuttle fly genus Puliciphora Dahl was found in a sample from a flight interception trap at Dinefwr Estate NNR, Llandeilo, Wales. This is only the fourth Puliciphora record for Britain and the first outside the Oxford area. Dispersal of members of this genus is limited by the flightless females, which are carried by males a few metres to oviposition sites. It seems likely, therefore, that the Welsh occurrence involved transportation by human activity from another source.

The Neotropical Orthonevra Macquart, 1829 (Diptera: Syrphidae)

The Neotropical species of the flower fly genus Orthonevra (Diptera: Syrphidae) are revised and 12 new species are described and illustrated: Orthonevra batman sp. nov., O. cthulhu sp. nov., O. gli sp. nov., O. gouletmasnerorum sp. nov., O. hypnotica sp. nov., O. minuosetulata sp. nov., O. nebulosa sp. nov., O. neiae sp. nov., O. roseae sp. nov., O. sternolobosa sp. nov., O. theta sp. nov., and O. thompsoni sp. nov. In addition, seven species are redescribed and illustrated: O. argentina (Brèthes, 1922), O. chilensis Thompson, 1999, O. flukei (Sedman, 1964), O. gewgaw (Hull, 1941), O. neotropica (Shannon, 1925), O. quadristriata (Shannon & Aubertin, 1933) and O. shannoni (Curran, 1926), and three Nearctic (one extending into the Neotropical region) species are diagnosed: O. bellula (Williston, 1882), O. nitida (Wiedemman, 1830) and O. nitidula (Curran, 1925) (for a total of 20 species with Neotropical distribution). Lectotypes are designated for two species, Chrysogater bellulus Williston and C. nitidus Wiedemann, and C. lugubris Jaennicke (1867) is removed from Orthonevra and left incertae sedis. A dichotomous and an interactive pictorial key to these species are also presented.

Phylogeny and classification of Lepidodexia Brauer & Bergenstamm (Diptera: Sarcophagidae)

Lepidodexia Brauer and Bergenstamm is one of the most speciose genera of flesh flies found in the Western Hemisphere. With approximately 200 species and 33 subgenera, Lepidodexia generic level diagnosis primarily relies on male terminalia features. However, the monophyly of Lepidodexia has been questioned, and for some taxa, the male terminalia are poorly known, leading to uncertainty about the genus delimitation and internal relationships. To address these issues, we performed the first comprehensive phylogeny of Lepidodexia, covering 85 % of its subgenera. Our results enabled us to establish a clear diagnosis for Lepidodexia and to identify 14 groups of subgenera based on key morphological features. The taxonomic status of the subgenera Archimimus, Halliosca, Xylocamptops and the species Lepidodexia angustifrons is addressed. Furthermore, our study provides a foundation for future taxonomic and evolutionary research on this diverse and ecologically important genus of flesh flies.

New species and records of the genus Hercostomus Loew (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Thailand mangroves, with notes on the Hercostomus fauna of Singapore mangroves

The long-legged fly genus Hercostomus Loew, 1857 is reported for the first time from mangrove habitats in Thailand. Two new species, H. obtusus sp. nov. and H. squamatus sp. nov. are described based on external morphology and supported by NGS barcoding. Four described species, namely, H. brevicornis Zhang, Yang & Grootaert, 2008, H. brevidigitalis Zhang, Yang & Grootaert, 2008, H. lanceolatus Zhang, Yang & Grootaert, 2008, and H. plumatus Zhang, Yang & Grootaert, 2008, previously known only from Singapore mangroves, are recorded for the first time from Thailand mangroves. In addition, species distributions are mapped and taxonomic notes are provided.

Taxonomic Notes on the Soldier Fly Genus Odontomyia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) from Pakistan with a New Country Record

The soldier fly genus Odontomyia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) is revised from Pakistan. Two species are re-described and illustrated: Odontomyia ochropa Thomson, 1869 and Odontomyia solennis Walker, 1851. Of these, Odontomyia solennis is newly recorded for Pakistan. An illustrated key and a distributional map of these two species in Pakistan are provided.

Diadelophora, a new phorid genus from central and western Brazil (Diptera: Phoridae).

Diadelophora gen. nov, a conspicuous new genus of phorid flies is described based on two species from central and western Brazil, D. stilbella sp. nov. and D. inornata sp. nov. The new genus is positioned in the Thaumatoxena-group within the subfamily Phorinae, probably as sister group to Hypocerides Schmitz, 1915. The diagnostic features of Diadelophora are commented and illustrated, and the genus differences to Hypocerides are highlighted. The morphology of Diadelophora species is explored in detail with SEM, photos, and optical microscopy illustrations of structures of taxonomic relevance and other curious features of the genus.

Taxonomic review of the genus Aldrichiopa Guimares, 1971 (Diptera: Tachinidae) with notes on antennal morphology and description of a new species.

A redescription of the genus Aldrichiopa Aldrich, 1934 (Diptera: Tachinidae) is provided and a new species, Aldrichiopa serrata Torres-Domnguez & Mulieri sp. nov. is described from specimens collected in Argentina and Chile. A detailed morphological description of the egg, first instar larva, and adult male and female including terminalia are presented for the first time. Exhaustive photographic records, scanning electron microscopy images, morphological detail of antennal ultrastructure, and updated geographic distributions are provided for the two species of the genus, Aldrichiopa coracella (Aldrich) and A. serrata sp. nov. An identification key based on males is provided. The taxonomic placement of Aldrichiopa to subfamily and tribe is discussed and information on the hosts of this genus of small tachinid flies is compiled.

The hAT family hopper transposon exists as highly similar yet discontinuous elements in the Bactrocera tephritid fly genus.

The hAT family transposable element, hopper, was originally discovered as a defective 3120-bp full-length element in a wild-type strain of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), and subsequently a functional 3131-bp element, hopperBdwe, was isolated from a white eye mutant strain. The latter study showed that closely related elements exist in melonfly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Coquillett) (Diptera: Tephritidae), a closely related subgenus, suggesting that hopper could have a widespread presence in the Bactrocera genus. To further understand the distribution of hopper within and beyond the B. dorsalis species complex, primer pairs from hopperBdwe and its adjacent genomic insertion site were used to survey the presence and relatedness of hopper in five species within the complex and four species beyond the complex. Based on sequence identity of a 1.94 kb internal nucleotide sequence, the closest relationships were with mutated elements from B. dorsalis s.s. and species synonymized with B. dorsalis including B. papayae, B. philippinensis and B. invadens, ranging in identity between 88.4% and 99.5%. Notably, Bactrocera carambolae (Drew & Hancock) (Diptera: Tephritidae), which is most closely related to B. dorsalis beyond the synonymized species, shared hopper identities of 97.3%-99.5%. Beyond the B. dorsalis complex, Z. cucurbitae,Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae) and Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae) shared identities of 83.1%-97.1%, while hopper was absent from the Bactrocera oleae (Gmelin) (Diptera: Tephritidae) strain tested. While the functional autonomous hopperBdwe element was not detected in these species, another closely related hopper element isolated from a B. dorsalis genetic sexing strain has an uninterrupted transposase open reading frame. The discontinuous presence of hopper in the Bactrocera genus has implications for its use for genomic manipulation and understanding the phylogenetic relationship of these species.

Pipunculus Latreille, 1802 (Diptera: Pipunculidae) of Colombia, with description of three new species and an updated key to males of the Neotropical species.

Pipunculus Latreille, 1802 is a cosmopolitan genus of big-headed flies (Pipunculidae), with nine known species in the Neotropical region, but completely unknown in Colombia. Three new species of Pipunculus are described from Colombia, namely Pipunculus caeruleus sp. nov. (type-locality: Pramo de Santa Ins, Belmira), P. chiminiguagua sp. nov. (type-locality: Cabaa Chaina, Santuario de Fauna y Flora Iguaque) and P. planus sp. nov. (type-locality: Los Mudos, Santuario de Fauna y Flora Iguaque). Illustrations and a new dichotomic key to the Neotropical species are presented. This paper increases the number of Neotropical Pipunculus to 11, five in South America and three in Colombia, which is now the South American country with the highest diversity of this genus.

A New Extinct Genus of Long-Legged Flies, with a Brief Review and Key to Extinct Genera of Baltic Amber Dolichopodidae (Diptera)

A New Extinct Genus of Long-Legged Flies, with a Brief Review and Key to Extinct Genera of Baltic Amber Dolichopodidae (Diptera)

Replacement names for two Asian species of Psila Meigen, 1803, sensu lato (Diptera, Psilidae)

New replacement names are provided for two secondary homonyms in the fly genus Psila Meigen, 1803: Pseudopsila maculipennis Frey, 1956 and Psila michelseni Shatalkin, 2000. In contrast, two other species names which were previously secondary homonyms in this genus have since been transferred to Chamaepsila Hendel, 1917 and do not need new replacement names.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification of economically important Ceratitis species (Diptera: Tephritidae).

Ceratitis is an economically important genus of fruit flies that originated in Africa, has a wide host range, and causes serious economic losses due to its invasive damage. As a result, it is critical to identify them accurately and quickly in the world. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), as one of the representatives of isothermal amplification technology, has been widely used in the rapid nucleic acid detection of human pathogens and has shown its advantages in the identification of insect agricultural pests. In this study, using the mitochondrial cox1 and cob genes as target genes, the rapid molecular identification of the Ceratitis FARQ complex, C. cosyra, and C. capitata was realized based on LAMP. The experimental conditions optimization results showed that F3/B3:FIP/BIP = 1:8 was the optimal primer concentration ratio and 63 °C was the optimal reaction temperature. The sensitivity of the primers obtained in this study can reach up to 0.01 ng/μl DNA. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification identification technology system was established based on rapid, rough DNA extraction and visual detection of Ceratitis economically important fruit flies. The positive reaction system changed from pink to khaki by visual detection. The identification flow can be completed within 1 hour, including sample processing, DNA extraction, and LAMP visual detection.

First records of the genus Myathropa Rondani, 1845 (Diptera, Syrphidae) from India with new distributional and taxonomic notes for Myathropa semenovi (Smirnov, 1925)

We report Myathropa semenovi (Smirnov, 1925) for the first time from India. This species was previously known from Central Asia and adjacent parts of Siberia. Recently collected specimens from the Kashmir Himalayas of India represent the first reported occurrence of this flower fly genus from India. Images and diagnosis are provided to help with the identification of this species.

Taxonomic revision of the sexually dimorphic flies of the Neotropical genus Euepalpus Townsend, 1908 (Diptera: Tachinidae), with notes on sexual patches in Tachinini

Euepalpus Townsend, 1908 is a small Neotropical genus of bristle flies (Diptera: Tachinidae: Tachinini), which includes two valid species whose taxonomy is unclear, mainly because males and females are sexually dimorphic. Males exhibit a pair of sexual patches on the dorsal surface of abdominal tergite 5, an unusual feature in Tachinidae. Here, the genus is revised, including a key to species and detailed descriptions and illustrations of the type material and males and females of each species. The male and female terminalia of Euepalpus species are described for the first time. Finally, I discuss the occurrence and distribution of sexual patches in Tachinini.

Clistoabdominalis Skevington, 2001 (Diptera: Pipunculidae) of Colombia, with description of a new species and an updated key to males of the Neotropical species.

Clistoabdominalis Skevington, 2001 has a cosmopolitan distribution and is a poorly studied genus of big-headed flies (Pipunculidae) in the Neotropical Region, completely unknown in Colombia. A new species is described from protected areas and conflict territories of limited access in Colombia, namely Clistoabdominalis lucyae sp. nov. (type-locality: Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona). Clistoabdominalis spinitibialis (Hardy, 1954) is recorded for the first time in Colombia, and an amended diagnosis provided. Illustrations and a dichotomic key to the Neotropical species of Clistoabdominalis are also presented.

Description of a New Genus of Beach Flies (Diptera: Canacidae: Tethininae) with New Records of Tethina Species from Delmarva (Eastern United States)

Description of a New Genus of Beach Flies (Diptera: Canacidae: Tethininae) with New Records of Tethina Species from Delmarva (Eastern United States)

Blood meal analysis and molecular detection of mammalian Leishmania DNA in wild-caught Sergentomyia spp. from Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) belonging to the genus Phlebotomus are vectors of pathogens such as arboviruses, bacteria, and parasites (Leishmania). Species of the genus Sergentomyia (Se.) transmit Sauroleishmania (Reptile Leishmania) and feed on cold-blooded vertebrates; recently, they have been incriminated in mammalian Leishmania transmission. In addition, they have been reported to feed on warm-blooded vertebrates. This study aimed to (i) screen wild-caught Sergentomyia species for the detection of mammalian Leishmania and (ii) identify the blood meal origin of engorged females. The sand flies were collected using centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) traps, mounted and identified morphologically. Only females of the genus Sergentomyia were screened for Leishmania infection using PCR targeting the 18S ribosomal DNA locus. For positive specimens, Leishmania parasites were typed using nested PCR targeting ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 followed by digestion with HaeIII. The PCR-RFLP results were confirmed through sequencing. Blood meal identification was performed through PCR amplification of the vertebrate cytochrome b gene using degenerate primers followed by sequencing. In total, 6026 sand fly specimens were collected between 2009 and 2018. Among these, 511 belonged to five species of Sergentomyia genus: Se. minuta (58.51%), Se. fallax (18.01%), Se. clydei (14.68%), Se. dreyfussi (6.26%), and Se. antennata (2.54%). A total of 256 female Sergentomyia sp. specimens were screened for Leishmania infection. Seventeen (17) were positive (6.64%). Two Leishmania species were identified. Leishmania major DNA was detected in five specimens; this included three Se. fallax, one Se. minuta, and one Se. dreyfussi collected from Tunisia. Leishmania infantum/L. donovani complex was detected in four Se. minuta and three Se. dreyfussi specimens collected from Tunisia. In addition, we identified the blood meal origin of five engorged Se. minuta specimens collected from Tunisia. Sequencing results revealed two blood sources: humans (n = 4) and reptiles (n = 1) indicating possible role of Sergentomyia species in the transmission of human Leishmania. In addition, these species could be involved in the life cycle of L. infantum/L. donovani complex and L. major. The results of the blood meal origin showed that Sergentomyia fed on both cold- and warm-blooded vertebrates. These findings enable a better understanding of the behavior of this sand fly genus. Further studies should focus on the role of Sergentomyia in human Leishmania transmission and possible control of this disease.

Revision of the stiletto fly genus Medomega Winterton & Lambkin from Australia (Therevidae)

The highly distinctive stiletto fly genus Medomega Winterton & Lambkin, 2012 is revised. Thirteen new species are described including: Medomega badius sp. n.; M. blothrocybe sp. n.; M. ephydropsis sp. n.; M. helvolifrons sp. n.; M. irwini sp. n.; M. karijini sp. n.; M. megasathe sp. n.; M. pilofrons sp. n.; M. prolixa sp. n.; M. propepilofrons sp. n.; M. serpentaria sp. n.; M. smarti sp. n. and M. zonion sp. n. Most species of this genus are found in the western and southern parts of Australia with adults predominantly active during the autumn months in southern latitudes to winter months in northern latitudes.