Neotropical Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) breeding in bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) including 22 new species

Twenty-three species of Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) were reared from Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Trinidad from 1998 to 2004. Twenty-two were new species. We describe these new species, their breeding sites, and the third stage larva and/or the puparium of all 23 species. Adults had species-specific head shapes and colour patterns, but similarities between 14 of the species enabled two groups and three subgroups to be recognized. Nonetheless, the high level of morphological disparity suggests independent colonizations of bromeliads. Adult colour patterns appear to be predominantly cryptic in function and based on reflectiveness derived from matt to shiny integumental ground colours, combined with overlying areas of variously coloured hairs, dust, and pruinosity. In addition, disruptive spots, bands, and vittae occur on the face, thoracic pleurites, and second tergite. Larvae were saprophagous in either live or dead bromeliads with no overlap between categories. A major factor explaining variation in larval morphology could be access to food. Larvae in live bromeliads are characterized by varying levels of dorso-ventral flattening, and modifications to the mouthparts and prothorax. These features appear to facilitate feeding in the narrow spaces between overlapping bromeliad leaves. Larvae exploiting dead bromeliads are characterized by varying levels of armature to the thorax, and extensions to the anal segment. Armature either consists of arrangements of sclerotized spicules distributed at various places on the thorax or large hooks on the lateral margins. Armoured thoraces facilitate burrowing through decaying tissue, and extended anal segments may reduce exposure during respiration.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 150 , 267–317.     

Neotropical Copestylum Macquart (Diptera: Syrphidae) Breeding in Fruits and Flowers,Including 7 New Species

Ten species of Copestylum (Diptera: Syrphidae) were reared from fruits and flowers in Costa Rica, Ecuador and Trinidad. Seven were new and in this paper, we describe them, their development sites and the third stage larva and/or the puparium of all ten species. One new synonym is proposed, Copestylum pinkusi (Curran) [= Copestylum cinctiventre (Curran)]. Similarities and differences between these new and other Copestylum species, suggest they separate into two groups, referred to as the Vagum and Cinctiventre species groups. Features characterising these groups for both adult and early stages are assessed. Each species was also distinguished using adult and early stage characters. Within the Vagum group, adults were more disparate morphologically than the larval stage; this was reversed in the Cinctiventre group. Adult colour patterns are probably cryptic in function and for disguise. Vagum species have disruptive marks, while the Cinctiventre species have reflective colours. Biologically, the groups are almost distinguished by larval development sites. Vagum species use predominantly fruits and have a larval stage that is relatively generalised in form and habit. Cinctiventre species are confined to developing in flowers and the larva is more specialised. A key to both adult and early stages of all ten species is provided.     

Intra-puparial development in the hoverflies Eristalinus aeneus and Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae)

The intra-puparial development of 150 pupae of Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763) and Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758) was analyzed. Individuals were obtained from the sixth laboratory generation kept under artificial rearing conditions at the facilities of the University of Alicante (Spain). The experiment was conducted at 25 ± 1°C temperature, 50 ± 5% relative humidity, and 12:12 hr (L:D) of photoperiod. Groups of 10 pupae were collected every 6 hr over 48 hr, after that period, pupae were collected daily until the adult emergence. They were fixed in 5% formic acid and preserved in 70% ethanol. Fixed pupae were dissected and photographed. The chronology and morphological changes that take place during the intra-puparial development in both species were analyzed and compared. Five phases were observed: prepupa, before 6 hr; cryptocephalic pupa, between 6 and 24 hr; phanerocephalic pupa, between 24 and 30 hr; pharate adult, after 30 hr; and the adult imago, restricted to the very end of the development process just before adult emergence. In total, the intra-puparial development lasted 189 ± 4 hr in E. aeneus and 192 ± 3 hr in E. tenax, with the pharate adult the longest phase (some 81% of the total developmental time). These data can be used to develop accurate cold storage protocols during artificial rearing of both pollinator species, avoiding critical events during the development and increasing survival.     

Bacteria associated with Copestylum (Diptera, Syrphidae) larvae and their cactus host Isolatocereus dumortieri

We describe the gut bacterial diversity inhabiting two saprophagous syrphids and their breeding substrate (decayed tissues of the columnar cactus Isolatocereus dumortieri). We analyzed the gut microbiota of Copestylum latum (scooping larvae that feed on decayed cactus tissues) and Copestylum limbipenne (whose larvae can also feed on semiliquid tissues) using molecular techniques. DNA was extracted from larval guts and cactus tissues. The V1-V3 region of the 16S rRNA genes was amplified and sequenced. A total of 31,079 sequences were obtained. The main findings are: C. limbipenne is dominated by several Enterobacteriaceae, including putative nitrogen-fixing genera and pectinolitic species and some denitrifying species, whereas in C. latum unclassified Gammaproteobacteria predominate. Decayed tissues have a dominant lactic acid bacterial community. The bacterial communities were more similar between larval species than between each larva and its breeding substrate. The results suggest that the gut bacterial community in these insects is not strongly affected by diet and must be dependent on other factors, such as vertical transmission, evolutionary history and host innate immunity.     

Demography and population parameters of two species of eristaline flower flies (Diptera,Syrphidae, Eristalini)

The importance of eristaline flies (Diptera, Syrphidae, Eristalini) as pollinators in natural ecosystems and for agricultural crops is well known. However, in-depth studies on the life cycle of most of these species have yet to be carried out. The aim of this research was to study the life cycle of Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758) and Eristalinus aeneus (Scopoli, 1763) in order to improve the current rearing system employed at the University of Alicante. The results were analysed using the age-stage, two-sex life table method. As one of the main results, the mean duration of the life history of E. tenax and E. aeneus was 46.06 and 65.12 days (d), respectively. The most critical step for both species was found at the beginning of the larval stage (first instar), when the highest mortality was recorded. Population parameters were also analysed and compared. The intrinsic rate of increase (r), the finite rate of increase (λ), the net reproductive rate (R₀) and the mean generation time (T) were 0.09 (d⁻¹), 1.09 (d⁻¹), 42.11 offspring and 40.97 d, in the case of E. aeneus and 0.05 (d⁻¹), 1.05 (d⁻¹), 23.13 offspring and 59.23 d, in the case of E. tenax. These results indicate that the current rearing system is more efficient for E. aeneus, which displays a faster population growth. However, some modifications need to be implemented to improve the production of E. tenax.     

Black-tie dress code: two new species of the genus Toxomerus (Diptera, Syrphidae)

Toxomerus hauseri Mengual sp. n. and Toxomerus picudus Mengual sp. n. are described from Peru and Ecuador respectively. Toxomerus circumcintus (Enderlein, 1938) is treated as a valid species and not considered synonym of Toxomerus marginatus, and Toxomerus ovatus (Hull, 1942) is considered junior synonym of Toxomerus nitidus (Schiner, 1868). An identification key for the Toxomerus species with dark abdomens is given along with diagnoses for each studied species.     

A genus and a species of hover-flies,new for the Russian fauna (Diptera,Syrphidae)

A new species Pseudoplatychirus glupovi is described from the highlands of the Altai Mts. (the Ukok Plateau). This is also the first record of the genus Pseudoplatychirus from Russia. The new species differs from P. peteri Doesburg, 1955 in the wing membrane more strongly pubescent with microtrichia, in the brown halteres with black capitulum, and in the structure of the male genitalia. The holotype and paratypes are deposited in the Siberian Zoological Museum, Institute of Animal Systematics and Ecology, Novosibirsk, Russia.     

Two new Neotropical species of Perithreticus Vaillant 1973 (Diptera: Psychodidae,Psychodinae)

The genus Perithreticus is recorded for the first time from Central America and the Caribbean. Two new species are described and figured: P. arboscandens Kvifte & Andersen, n. sp. from Zurquí, San José Province, Costa Rica and P. guantanamera Kvifte & Andersen, n. sp. from Alexander von Humboldt National Park, Guantánamo Province, Cuba. The generic diagnosis is emended to accommodate the newly described species, and a key to the males of the Perithreticus species of the world is presented.     

Revision of the New World genus Quichuana Knab, 1913 (Diptera: Syrphidae), including descriptions of 24 new species

The species of the New World syrphid genus, Quichuana Knab, 1913 (Diptera: Syrphidae: Eristalini), are revised and the genus is re‐diagnosed. Twenty‐four new species are described, bringing the total number considered valid to 48. New species were mostly reared from Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad, and Venezuela. The male of Quichuana picadoi is described for the first time. Quichuana championi is proposed as a synonym of Quichuana cincta, Quichuana aurata as a synonym of Quichuana angustiventris, and Quichuana sepiapennis as a synonym of Quichuana calathea. Quichuana inca var. brevicera is raised to specific status. Lectotypes are designated for Helophilus auratus, Quichuana bezzii, Quichuana fasciata, and Quichuana parisii. A species‐level identification key for both males and females is provided. Male genitalia of 18 species are illustrated. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166 , 72–131.     

The Diversity of Flower Flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) in Colombia and Their Neotropical Distribution

In Colombia, like most Neotropical countries, faunistic studies on flower flies have been occasional and most of them have been primarily focused on taxonomy. Colombia is the second-most species-rich country in flower fly diversity in the Neotropics after Brazil, and has one of the highest numbers of species per unit area (2.49 per 10,000?km²), based on a review of literature and national collections. Including new data presented here, a total of 47 genera and 300 species are recorded in Colombia. The genera Scaeva Fabricius and Lycastrirhyncha Bigot, as well as 101 species are recorded here for the first time. The altitudinal range and the distribution of the flower fly genera in Colombia are presented. A preliminary comparison of the fauna of Colombia with that of other Neotropical countries is given. A historical perspective is also provided in order to illustrate how Colombian Syrphidae knowledge has progressed over the last 168?years. Information presented here will be useful for ongoing and future biodiversity research as well as conservation projects on Syrphidae in the Neotropical region.     

A new species of the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Turkey

A new species of the genus Chrysotoxum (Diptera: Syrphidae), Chrysotoxum bozdagensis Nedeljkovi?, Vuji? &; Hayat sp. n., collected from Bozda? Mt., ?zmir Province, Turkey is described and illustrated. Chrysotoxum bozdagensis sp. n. can be distinguished from the similar Ch. octomaculatum Curtis, 1837 by the presence of a black pile on the mesonotum and the colour of the legs. It is also similar to Ch. elegans Loew, 1841, from which it can be distinguished by the colour of the pile on the vertical triangle and scutellum, as well from the structure of the male genitalia. Additionally, Ch. bozdagensis sp. n. can be clearly distinguished from the latter two species by DNA sequence data. This new species increases the total number of Chrysotoxum species in Turkey to 18.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7465AAEA-21E6-4F0F-984C-CD48BE75436F     

Two new species and a new combination in Manfreda (Agavaceae)

Two new species ofManfreda are named,M. longibracteata from Michoacán, Mexico, andM. sileri, a succulent-leaved species from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico.Agave hauniensis is transferred toManfreda.     

Phylogenetic relationships and the larval head of the lower Cyclorrhapha (Diptera)

We examined final‐stage larvae of all currently recognized lower cyclorrhaphan (= Aschiza) families, except Ironomyiidae and Sciadoceridae, and those of the higher cyclorrhaphan (= Schizophora) families Calliphoridae, Conopidae, Lonchaeidae, Muscidae, and Ulidiidae, and compared them with larvae of two out‐group families, Rhagionidae and Dolichopodidae, paying particular attention to structures of the head. A set of 86 morphological characters were analysed phylogenetically. The results show that the lower Cyclorrhapha is paraphyletic in relation to the higher Cyclorrhapha. The monophyly of the Cyclorrhapha is strongly supported. The lower Cyclorrhapha is resolved into two clades, based on the Lonchopteridae. Within the Syrphidae the traditional three‐subfamily system is supported, based on the Microdontinae. Within the lower Cyclorrhapha, the larval head is variable in form and arrangement of components. In Lonchopteridae, the mouth lies at the back of an open trough or furrow, comprising ventrally an elongate labium and laterally the maxilla. This arrangement of components appears to facilitate scooping food in water films. In Platypezoidea there is no furrow, and the dorsolateral lobes bearing the antennae are connected by a dorsal extension of the pseudocephalon. The main food‐gathering structure is the hooked apex of the labium, but in Phoridae the mandibles may also be important. In Eumuscomorpha the mandibles are at the apex of the head skeleton. The pseudocephalon is extended and infolded dorsally to form an oral pocket over the mouth. In the Pipunculidae, and the Microdontinae and Syrphinae of the Syrphidae, ventrally it forms a V‐shaped groove or guide along which the mandibles project. The labium is sclerotized apically, and forms a plate or tapered projection. This arrangement of components facilitates holding, piercing and extracting prey tissues. In Eristalinae the pseudocephalon is attached to the mandibles and is formed into a pair of cirri bearing mandibular lobes that lie either side of the mouth. Furthermore, the epipharynx is produced anteriorly in relation to the hypopharynx, and the labium is attached to the anterior part of the epipharynx to form a cavity or atrium. This arrangement is suited to fragmenting and imbibing solid food in Eristalinae with hooked mandibles, and when the mandibles are reduced and the mandibular lobes are inverted and sclerotized, these structures form a filter for separating fluid‐suspended particulate food. In higher Cyclorrhapha an atrium is present as in Eristalinae, but a connection between the pseudocephalon and the mandibles is absent. Instead, the pseudocephalon is bifurcate dorsally and forms a pair of cephalic lobes that ventrally ensheath each mandible. The surface of the sheath may be coated in cirri and other food‐gathering structures. The cephalic lobes, mandibular sheaths and the head skeleton are maneuverable and retractile to a higher degree than in lower Cyclorrhapha. This arrangement of components facilitates feeding on both solid food, in which the mouthooks may extend from the sheath to break the food up, and particulate and suspended food, in which the food‐gathering structures of the sheath scoop up the food. In many higher Cyclorrhapha, maneuverability is enhanced by a break between the labium and the basal sclerite, to which it is fused in all lower Cyclorrhapha. Intermediate characters and states for the structures of the higher cyclorrhaphan larval head are present in out‐groups, and lower Cyclorrhapha and homologies are discussed. Liquidity of the food is an important factor explaining the structure of the larval head in Cyclorrhapha. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 153 , 287–323.     

The Megophthalmidia (Diptera,Mycetophilidae) of North America including eight new species

Megophthalmidia Dziedzicki is a small leiine genus (Mycetophilidae) with seven species described from the Neotropics and ten species from the Palearctic region. Two species of Megophthalmidia have been reported for North America. Recent collecting of Mycetophilidae in California and Arizona, however, shows current North American diversity of Megophthalmidia is at least on par to other regions of the world. Eight new species of Megophthalmidia are described here, increasing the number of Nearctic Megophthalmidia species to nine. Included is a particularly atypical member of the genus, M. saskia sp. n., which expands the genus concept of Megophthalmidia. Of the two species previously recorded for North America, only one actually belongs in the genus. Megophthalmidia occidentalis Johannsen, is fully described and illustrated. The other named species, M. marceda (Sherman) is illustrated and transferred to the genus Ectrepesthoneura Enderlein. A lectotype is designated for this species. A key to the species of Megophthalmidia of North America is provided. The biology of these flies is not yet known. Three of the new Megophthalmidia species – M. lenimenta, M. misericordia, and M. radiata – are only known to occur within small protected areas within the California State Park and UC Natural Reserve systems.     

New data on the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from North-East Turkey,Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran including descriptions of three new species

New data and records of the genus Chrysotoxum Meigen, 1803 are reported, arising from taxonomic and faunistic examination of adult specimens collected from 1920 to 2011 from four northeastern provinces of Turkey (Erzurum, Bayburt, Kars, and Artvin), and from the neighboring countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. Three new species are described: Chrysotoxum antennalis Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n., C. clausseni Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n. and C. persicum Vuji?, Nedeljkovi? &; Hayat sp. n. The first two are known only from northeastern Turkey, and the third also occurs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. These new species have in common an antenna with the basoflagellomere being shorter than the scape and pedicel together.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4C264678-8E47-4DE0-AC7D-91DABC597BCD     

Hoverflies of the Guelma district,with species new to Algeria and North Africa (Diptera: Syrphidae)

A survey of the hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the region of Guelma, northeast Algeria, was carried out from August 2011 to July 2013. A total of 31 species was recorded with six (Scaeva mecogramma, Epistrophe melanostoma, Syrphus vitripennis, Brachypalpus valgus, Merodon calcaratus and M. chalybeus) new to Algeria. Of these, three species (E. melanostoma, M. calcaratus and M. chalybeus) are also new additions to the entomofauna of North Africa. The results complement those of a previous study covering Numidia and Tebessa and provide a more comprehensive view of the phenology and distribution of Syrphidae across northeast Algeria. An improved knowledge of the distribution of North African hoverflies will contribute to a better assessment of the status of each taxon and inform conservation efforts.     

Review of Indian species of Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) with description of two new species

Flower fly species of the genus Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) in India are reviewed and two new species, M. flavoscutata Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov. and M. nigra Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov., are described from Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh (India), respectively. A new synonym is proposed: M. multipunctata (Hull, 1941) is synonymised under M. polistoides (Brunetti, 1923). Moreover, lectotypes are designated for Ceria patricia Brunetti, 1923 and Ceria tredecimpunctata Brunetti, 1923. An identification key to the Indian Monoceromyia species is also provided.     

The phylogeny and systematics of European predacious Syrphidae (Diptera) based on larval and puparial stages

The external larval morphology of predacious Syrphidae is examined and compared with that of other groups of syrphids. Predacious larvae form a distinctive, monophyletic group. Relationships among 29 of the 34 European genera and subgenera are analysed using cladistic methods based on larval and puparial characters. Interpretation of the cladogram suggests that, within Syrphinae, a system of five tribes can be recognized and that a major trend has been a shift from ground layer to arboreal larval habitats, with an increasing degree of obligate dependence on soft-bodied Homoptera as prey. Generic diagnoses with biological and taxonomic notes are given and a key to genera based on larvae and puparia is provided.