Celeste Pérez-Bañón

COI barcodes for identification of Merodon hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae) of Lesvos Island, Greece

DNA barcoding has become a useful system for linking different biological life stages, and for identification of species within a known taxonomic framework. In this study, we generated mitochondrial DNA COI barcodes using adult specimens of all 22 species of the hoverfly genus Merodon (Diptera, Syrphidae) occurring on Lesvos island (Greece). The generated COI barcodes could well discriminate between all Merodon taxa of Lesvos, except for M. loewi and M. papillus that shared the same haplotype, despite their clear morphological differences. In addition, the barcodes revealed two cases of hitherto unknown morphologically cryptic species close to M. avidus and M. nigritarsis, respectively. Because only few successful rearings of immature stages of Merodon hoverflies are available, the larval host plant remains unknown for these phytophagous taxa. The obtained COI barcode library for the Merodon spp. of Lesvos will constitute a tool to link any unknown immature stages with already known species, and thus provide important life‐history information and promise for ecological studies.

The reproductive ecology of Medicago citrina (Font Quer) Greuter (Leguminosae): a bee-pollinated plant in Mediterranean islands where bees are absent

The reproductive ecology of Medicagocitrina was studied in the Columbretes archipelago (Mediterranean Sea), where bees are absent. The flowers were self-compatible, homogamous, nectar producers, depended on large floral visitors for tripping and pollination. Several characteristics of the reproductive biology of M.citrina indicate an adaptation to an isolated environment characterised by scarcity of appropriate pollinators. As a result of this scarcity, fruit and seed set under natural conditions were significantly lower compared to hand-pollination treatments. The main flower visitors were mostly flies and blowflies, with Eristalis tenax (Syrphidae) and Calliphoravicina (Calliphoridae) being the most efficient pollinators. We argue that because M. citrina faces pollen limitation in the small islets of Columbretes, it presents an interesting case study of pollination related to island endemism and diversity.

Two new species of the genus Merodon Meigen 1803 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the island of Lesvos (Greece), in the eastern Mediterranean

Abstract Descriptions are given of two new species of Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the island of Lesvos (Greece): Merodon papilius Vujić, Radenković & Pérez-Bañon n. sp. from the ruficornis group species and Merodon sapphous Vujić, Pérez-Bañon & Radenković n. sp. from the aureus group. In addition to classical morphological characters, partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene are generated for each taxon as DNA ‘barcodes’. Main characteristics of the species habitats are reported. The zoogeographical significance of these endemic taxa to the biodiversity of the island is discussed.

The early stages and breeding sites of four rare saproxylic hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Spain

The puparial stage is described for each of four saproxylic hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae): Ferdinandea fumipennis Kassebeer, 1999, Mallota dusmeti Andréu, 1926, Myolepta difformis Strobl, 1909, and Myolepta obscura Becher, 1882. Early stages were collected at Cabañeros National Park in Ciudad Real province, central Spain. Mallota dusmeti, M. difformis, and M. obscura were found in water‐filled holes of live Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. trees and the larva of F. fumipennis was found in a sap run on a live Quercus pyrenaica Wild. tree. Larvae were identified by rearing them to the adult stage. Puparia of these species possessed generic‐level characters found in congenerics. Apparent species‐level characters separating them from early stages of congenerics are proposed. The records reported here are the first for the Iberian Peninsula of M. obscura. Mallota dusmeti, M. difformis, and Myolepta obscura are extremely rare in Europe with M. dusmeti classed as “vulnerable” in the Spanish Invertebrate Red Data Book.

Immature Stages and Breeding Sites of Some Neotropical Saprophagous Syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae)

Abstract The larva and/or puparium of the Neotropical syrphids Habromyia coeruleithorax Williston, 1888, Palpada furcata (Wiedemann, 1819), and six species of Meromacrus Rondani, 1848, are figured, described, and compared with other similar larvae. All of these larvae are similar in external form, having mouthparts adapted for filtering suspended items of food, retractile anterior spiracles, prolegs with crochets, and extended anal segments (=long-tailed larvae). Each species varied in the size and distribution of integumental setae and spicules and in the size and form of the pupal spiracles. Keys are provided to identify genera of Neotropical long-tailed syrphid larvae and to separate the six species of Meromacrus: M. acutus (Fabricius, 1805), M. currani Hull, 1942, M. draco Hull, 1942, M. laconicus (Walker, 1852), M. loewii (Williston, 1892), and M. obscurus Hine, 1924. Larvae of all these species were found in tree holes, except for M. draco, which was associated with decaying bananas, and P. furcata, which occurred in a waste heap of decaying coffee pulp.

Biogeographical patterns of the genus Merodon Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Syrphidae) in islands of the eastern Mediterranean and adjacent mainland

The objective of this study was to obtain a biogeographical perspective on the hoverfly genus Merodon (Diptera, Syrphidae) based on data from 32 islands in the Aegean and Ionian archipelagoes vis‐à‐vis the adjacent mainland. In this part of the world, the genus comprises 57 species, out of more than 160 species described worldwide. The importance of eco‐geographical variables (area, elevation, distance to the nearest island and distance to the nearest mainland) and the species–area relationship (SAR) were studied in order to explain patterns of species richness. All tests supported the dynamic equilibrium concept. The area and distance to closest island were found to be the most important drivers of species richness on the Aegean and Ionian archipelagoes. Out of three SAR models evaluated in this study, the exponential function fitted our data best. It was found that a power model with no intercept value (C = 1) performed even better by using symbolic regression for non‐linear equation optimisation. The cluster and null‐model analyses performed to detect inter‐island similarities and origins of the insular Merodon fauna indicated a clear influence of colonisation history of the species on different islands. The results imply that the current distributions of Merodon species in the study area exhibit the combined effects of historical and present‐day processes.

Shift in Phenotypic Variation Coupled With Rapid Loss of Genetic Diversity in Captive Populations of Eristalis tenax (Diptera: Syrphidae): Consequences for Rearing and Potential Commercial Use

ABSTRACT Because of its importance as a pollinator and its potential economic usefulness for the biodegradation of organic animal waste, the genetic and phenotypic diversity of the drone fly, Eristalis tenax L. (Diptera: Syrphidae), was studied in both wild and captive populations from southeastern Europe. Wild specimens from a natural protected habitat (with low human impact), field crop habitat (semisynanthropic condition), and intensive pig farming habitat (synanthropic condition) were compared with a laboratory colony reared on artificial media. An integrative approach was applied based on allozyme loci, cytochrome c oxidase I mitochondrial DNA, wing traits (size and shape), and abdominal color patterns. Our results indicate that the fourth and eighth generations of the laboratory colony show a severe lack of genetic diversity compared with natural populations. Reduced genetic diversity in subsequent generations (F4 and F8) of the laboratory colony was found to be linked with phenotypic divergence. Loss of genetic variability associated with phenotypic differentiation in laboratory samples suggests a founder effect, followed by stochastic genetic processes and inbreeding. Hence, our results have implications for captive bred Eristalis flies, which have been used in crop pollination and biodegradation of organic waste under synanthropic conditions.

Where Is My Food? Brazilian Flower Fly Steals Prey from Carnivorous Sundews in a Newly Discovered Plant-Animal Interaction

A new interaction between insects and carnivorous plants is reported from Brazil. Larvae of the predatory flower fly Toxomerus basalis (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) have been found scavenging on the sticky leaves of several carnivorous sundew species (Drosera, Droseraceae) in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states, SE Brazil. This syrphid apparently spends its whole larval stage feeding on prey trapped by Drosera leaves. The nature of this plant-animal relationship is discussed, as well as the Drosera species involved, and locations where T. basalis was observed. 180 years after the discovery of this flower fly species, its biology now has been revealed. This is (1) the first record of kleptoparasitism in the Syrphidae, (2) a new larval feeding mode for this family, and (3) the first report of a dipteran that shows a kleptoparasitic relationship with a carnivorous plant with adhesive flypaper traps. The first descriptions of the third instar larva and puparium of T. basalis based on Scanning Electron Microscope analysis are provided.

SEM studies on immature stages of the drone flies (diptera, syrphidae): Eristalis similis (Fallen, 1817) and Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus, 1758)

Adult drone flies (Syrphidae: Eristalis spp.) resemble male honeybees in appearance. Their immature stages are commonly known as rat‐tailed maggots due to the presence of a very long anal segment and a telescopic breathing tube. The larvae are associated with decaying organic material in liquid or semi‐liquid media, as in the case of other saprophagous eristalines. Biological and morphological data were obtained from both laboratory cultures and sampling in the field. Drone flies are important pollinators for wild flowers and crops. In fact, mass rearing protocols of Eristalis species are being developed to be used as efficient alternative pollinators. However, deeper knowledge of larval morphology and biology is required to improve artificial rearing. The production quality control of artificial rearing must manage the consistency and reliability of the production output avoiding, for example contamination with similar species. This article presents the first description of the larva and puparium of E. similis, including a comparative morphological study of preimaginal stages of the anthropophilic and ubiquitous European hoverfly species E. tenax. Scanning electron microscopy has been used for the first time to describe larvae and puparia of both species. Moreover, the preimaginal morphology of E. similis has been compared with all known descriptions of the genus Eristalis. The main diagnostic characters of the preimaginal stages of E. similis are the morphology of the anterior spiracles (shape of clear area and arrangement of facets) and pupal spiracles (length, shape, and arrangement of tubercles). Microsc. Res. Tech. 76:853–861, 2013.

Pupal stages of three species of the phytophagous genus Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae)

plants, are mostly unknown. All known immature stages of Merodon feed on underground storage organs (bulbs, rhizomes and corms) of geophytes of the families Asparagaceae, Iridaceae and Amaryllidaceae. Of 160 known Merodon species, to date, the pupal stages have been described for only four: M. equestris (Fabricius), M. bombiformis Hull, M. luteihumerus Marcos-García, Vujić Mengual, and M. geniculatus Strobl. During field investigations in Đerdap National Park, Serbia, Merodon puparia were found in the ground near the bulbs of Ornithogalum umbellatum L. (Asparagaceae). DNA barcoding revealed that they belonged to the species M. aureus Fabricius and M. avidus (Rossi). Analysis of museum material from the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Germany revealed the puparium of an additional species, M. rufus Meigen. In our study we provide for the first time descriptions of the puparia of these three Merodon species. The main diagnostic morphological characters of the pupal spiracles and posterior respiratory processes are described using scanning electron microscopy, and cephalopharyngeal skeletons using binocular microscopy. In addition, puparium morphology of M. aureus, M. avidus and M. rufus is compared with known puparia of four other Merodon species and with the third larval stage of M. hurkmansi Marcos-García, Vujić Mengual.