Sexual receptivity and post-emergence ovarian development in females of Coproica vagans (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae)

Abstract .Males and females of the dung fly species Coproica vagans Haliday 1833 (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) mate soon after emergence from the puparium. At this time females still have immature ovaries. Therefore, mating precedes vitellogenesis in this species. Data presented here show that mating enhances oogenesis in C. vagans females. Mated females mature their first egg batch sooner and oviposit four days earlier than virgin conspecifics. Mating-related enhancement of oogenesis could be explained either through nutritional benefits to females or male chemical or stimulatory manipulation of the females. Oogenesis was divided into six arbitrary stages, with vitellogenesis beginning in stage 4. Ovarian development beyond stage 4 is rapid compared with pre-vitellogenetic development. Virgin females pause oogenesis in stage 4. The genital opening of mated females is blocked by a mating plug that persists until oviposition begins. The plug seems to ensure the paternity of the last male to mate by preventing females from remating. The operational sex ratio in C. vagans populations is presumed to be strongly male-biased.     

中国刺足小粪蝇属一新种和一新纪录种(双翅目,小粪蝇科)(英文)

记述了中国刺足小粪蝇属Phthitia Enderlein 2种,新种为双角刺足小粪蝇Phthitia bicornis sp.nov.,新纪录种为指刺足小粪蝇P.glabrescensc,研究标本保存在沈阳大学.     

中国陆小粪蝇属新种和一新纪录种(双翅目,小粪蝇科)

记述中国陆小粪蝇属Terrilimosina Rohacek 2种,其中产自广西猫儿山的1新种:羊角陆小粪蝇T.capricornis Su et Liu,sp.nov.和采自辽西的1新纪录种:短陆小粪蝇T.nana Hayashi,1992.新种模式标本和检查标本均保存于沈阳大学.     

NOTES ON THE GENUS RICHARDSIA PAPP IN CHINA (DIPTERA,SPHAEROCERIDAE, COPROMYZINAE)

报道小粪蝇科1新纪录属和1新纪录种:理小粪蝇属Richardsia Papp,1973及该属蒙古理小粪蝇Richardsia mongolica( Papp,1973),之前仅在蒙古分布记录.文中补充了蒙古理小粪蝇雌性后腹部特征图.研究标本均保存在沈阳大学.     

The natural history of a phoretic sphaerocerid Diptera fauna

ABSTRACT.

• 1 Three species of phoretic Sphaeroceridae kleptoparasitize the dung caches of scarab beetles in north Florida. Ceroptera sivinskii Marshall intercepts beetles under dung, then accompanies them into their burrows. Borborillus frigipennis (Spuler) rides on ball rolling and tunnelling scarabs. It perches on beetles both underground and in flight. B.singularis (Spuler) is similar in habits but is principally nocturnal.
• 2 Kleptoparasitism is probably a means of escaping environmental decay and competition in‘parent’faeces. Nonscarab competitors and predators are less abundant in beetle stored dung, and Borborillus spp. are among the few spaerocerids that flourish when large, rapidly developing calypterate flies are abundant.
• 3 Since oviposition in B.frigipennis occurs only underground, phoresy is an inexpensive and safe means to maintain contact with hosts. Males ride in order to find mates.

     

Sphaeroceridae (Diptera) caught in light traps at Rothamsted Experimental Station, Herts., 1980–83

ABSTRACT.

• 1 A total of 7063 specimens of Sphaeroceridae representing forty species were caught in four light traps, two in woodland and two in the open, at Rothamsted Experimental Station between December 1980 and December 1983.
• 2 A complete list of species and the numbers of individuals of each is provided.
• 3 The catches in the two traps in woodland were less diverse than the catches in the two traps in the open.
• 4 Two-way analysis of variance demonstrated a significant difference in catch from trap to trap.
• 5 When their similarities were compared, the four light trap catches formed two groups, corresponding with habitat type.
• 6 The majority of the catch were Copromyza similis (Collin) (5555 specimens or 78.64% of the total). The species was most abundant in winter from mid-December to early February, although there were slight differences in times of maximum abundance between open and woodland habitats.

     

Attraction of a kleptoparasitic sphaerocerid fly (Norrbomia frigipennis) to dung beetles (Phanaeus spp. andCanthon sp.)

Norrbomia frigipennis (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae) is phoretic on dung-feeding scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). In this study we investigate the attractiveness of three beetle species,Phanaeus ignius, P. vindex, andCanthon pilularis, to the fly. Stationary, moving-dead, and live beetles were used. More flies were attracted toPhanaeus. However, this attractiveness may be due to the larger average size ofPhanaeus. A preference for larger individuals was found withinPhanaeus, though not withinC. pilularis. Flies mounted beetles on the thorax and the elytra at similar rates.Phanaeus males that possesed horns did not attract more flies than did hornless ones, and there was no effect of host sex on attractiveness. In hornedPhanaeus, about 11–16% of the flies mounting those beetles landed on the horn.     

Temporal segregations in the surface community of an ephemeral habitat: Time separates the potential competitors of coprophilous Diptera

Temporal separations among species greatly enhance the species' coexistence, especially in insect communities inhabiting temporally unstable, yet resource‐rich, ephemeral habitats like dung or carrion. The insect communities inhabiting ephemeral habitats consist of two components, the internal community dwelling within the substrate (mostly Coleoptera), and the surface community inhabiting the habitat's outer rim (mostly adult Diptera). In contrast to the internal community, the surface community is very rarely studied. We present here the first quantitative study of temporal trends in the surface community of coprophilous dipteran adults. Using artificially created 1.5 L cow dung pats, we studied the succession and seasonality in the surface community during six sampling periods in 2011 and 2012. In total, we sampled 13579 adults of dung‐visiting Diptera. Both the abundance and species richness decreased rapidly throughout the succession, and were highest during summer. Along the successional gradient, the community was separated into two main groups (early and late) and four subgroups: (i) species occurring during the first few hours (mainly Calyptratae: Diptera); (ii) species occurring between the first and second days; (iii) species occurring between the second and third days (mainly Acalyptratae: Diptera); and (iv) species with optima after the third day of dung pat existence (mainly Nematocera). The earliest and latest successional groups, occurring mainly during spring–autumn, were seasonally separated from the two mid‐successional groups, occurring during summer. The ecologically similar species displayed detectable seasonal micro‐optima, which likely facilitate their coexistence. There was a high overall similarity in temporal patterns between dung and carrion surface communities.     

中国理小粪蝇属记述(双翅目,小粪蝇科,离小粪蝇亚科)(英文)

报道小粪蝇科1新纪录属和1新纪录种:理小粪蝇属Richardsia Papp,1973及该属蒙古理小粪蝇Richardsia mongolica(Papp,1973),之前仅在蒙古分布记录。文中补充了蒙古理小粪蝇雌性后腹部特征图。研究标本均保存在沈阳大学。     

中国单小粪蝇属记述及一新种描述(双翅目:小粪蝇科:沼小粪蝇亚科)

记述1新记录属各1新种.列出了中国单小粪蝇属已知种检索表(♀).四刺单小粪蝇Monorbiseta quadrispinula Su,新种(图11～16 )该新种与新记录种M monorbiseta (Deeming)的区别是:髭角及颊略带棕黑色;第2前缘脉长略短于第3前缘脉;R2+3长,略直;雌性第8背片中骨片矩形;...