Some remarkably common, but undescribed, Megaselia Rondani (Diptera: Phoridae) from northwestern Costa Rica.

A collection of 16,521 barcoded phorid flies from rea de Conservacin Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica contains 1,498 recognized BINs (Barcode Index Numbers) in the BOLD database. These BINs were identified to genus, based on photographs, and the collection was found to be composed largely (893/1,498=60%) of specimens of the enormous genus Megaselia Rondani. The nine most common ACG Megaselia, represented by 100 or more specimens each, are briefly described, and diagnosed largely based on DNA barcodes. This study is a prelude and pilot to naming the many less-common species in a similar format.

Two new genera of phorid flies, Macgrathphora and Aurisetiphora, from Costa Rica (Diptera: Phoridae), with recommendations for naming new genera in the family.

Two new genera and four new species of metopinine phorid fly are described from Costa Rica. Macgrathphora new genus is described with the following new species: M. caribbea, M. longifurca, and M. pacifica. In particular, M. caribbea is one of the most abundant phorids collected in a recent inventory project in Northwestern Costa Rica. Aurisetiphora new genus is described for a single species, A. maggiesnowae new species, from a site in the Central Valley, near San Jos. Guidelines for describing new genera within the Phoridae, especially the Metopininae, are given, and genus Synaptophora Brown is synonymized with Dohrniphora Dahl (new synonymy).

Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest.

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m-32 m-8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.

Forty-one new species of Coniceromyia Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), an identification key, and new distributional records for the species of the genus.

Forty-one new species of the mostly neotropical genus Coniceromyia Borgmeier are described. The descriptions follow the methodology of recent works on the genus taxonomy and illustrate habitus, foremetatarsus, wing, hind femur, and hypopygium for each species. Unique features of some species are also illustrated, including several male features possibly related to sexual selection such as processes on different tarsomeres of the foreleg. New records for the known species are presented, as well as an identification key for the species of the genus and maps with their updated distribution. Coniceromyia brandaoi Ament Amorim is synonymized with Coniceromyia plaumanni Borgmeier. Even though this work examined the Coniceromyia of the major collections of neotropical Phoridae, the high number of singletons and doubletons indicates that the real diversity of the genus may still be far from understood.

Remarkable fly (Diptera) diversity in a patch of Costa Rican cloud forest: Why inventory is a vital science.

Study of all flies (Diptera) collected for one year from a four-hectare (150 x 266 meter) patch of cloud forest at 1,600 meters above sea level at Zurquí de Moravia, San José Province, Costa Rica (hereafter referred to as Zurquí), revealed an astounding 4,332 species. This amounts to more than half the number of named species of flies for all of Central America. Specimens were collected with two Malaise traps running continuously and with a wide array of supplementary collecting methods for three days of each month. All morphospecies from all 73 families recorded were fully curated by technicians before submission to an international team of 59 taxonomic experts for identification.        Overall, a Malaise trap on the forest edge captured 1,988 species or 51% of all collected dipteran taxa (other than of Phoridae, subsampled only from this and one other Malaise trap). A Malaise trap in the forest sampled 906 species. Of other sampling methods, the combination of four other Malaise traps and an intercept trap, aerial/hand collecting, 10 emergence traps, and four CDC light traps added the greatest number of species to our inventory. This complement of sampling methods was an effective combination for retrieving substantial numbers of species of Diptera. Comparison of select sampling methods (considering 3,487 species of non-phorid Diptera) provided further details regarding how many species were sampled by various methods.        Comparison of species numbers from each of two permanent Malaise traps from Zurquí with those of single Malaise traps at each of Tapantí and Las Alturas, 40 and 180 km distant from Zurquí respectively, suggested significant species turnover. Comparison of the greater number of species collected in all traps from Zurquí did not markedly change the degree of similarity between the three sites, although the actual number of species shared did increase.        Comparisons of the total number of named and unnamed species of Diptera from four hectares at Zurquí is equivalent to 51% of all flies named from Central America, greater than all the named fly fauna of Colombia, equivalent to 14% of named Neotropical species and equal to about 2.7% of all named Diptera worldwide. Clearly the number of species of Diptera in tropical regions has been severely underestimated and the actual number may surpass the number of species of Coleoptera.        Various published extrapolations from limited data to estimate total numbers of species of larger taxonomic categories (e.g., Hexapoda, Arthropoda, Eukaryota, etc.) are highly questionable, and certainly will remain uncertain until we have more exhaustive surveys of all and diverse taxa (like Diptera) from multiple tropical sites.        Morphological characterization of species in inventories provides identifications placed in the context of taxonomy, phylogeny, form, and ecology. DNA barcoding species is a valuable tool to estimate species numbers but used alone fails to provide a broader context for the species identified.

FAMILY PHORIDAE.

The Phoridae recorded from Colombia are catalogued, totaling 226 species distributed in 19 genera and three subfamilies. For each species, distribution, hierarchic position and cited references are presented.

Two new bee-killing flies from Brazil (Insecta: Diptera: Phoridae: Melaloncha).

BACKGROUND: The genus Melaloncha is a large group of species of parasitoid phorid flies that attack Hymenoptera, mostly stingless bees (Meliponinae, Apidae) in the Neotropical Region. NEW INFORMATION: Two new Brazilian species, Melaloncha (Melaloncha) peacockorum sp. n. and Melaloncha (Udamochiras) nielsi sp. n., are described and their identification clarified.

How to inventory tropical flies (Diptera)--One of the megadiverse orders of insects.

A new approach to inventory Diptera species in tropical habitats is described. A 150 x 266 m patch of cloud forest at Zurquí de Moravia, Costa Rica (10.047N, 84.008W) at 1585 meters asl was sampled with two Malaise traps for slightly more than one year (Sept. 12, 2012-Oct. 18, 2013). Further concomitant sampling with a variety of trapping methods for three days every month and collecting during a one-week intensive "Diptera Blitz", with 19 collaborators collecting on-site, provided diverse additional samples used in the inventory. Two other Costa Rican sites at Tapantí National Park (9.720N, 83.774W, 1600 m) and Las Alturas (8.951N, 82.834W, 1540 m), 40 and 180 km southeast from Zurquí de Moravia, respectively, were each sampled with a single Malaise trap to allow for beta-diversity assessments. Tapantí National Park was sampled from Oct. 28, 2012-Oct. 13, 2013 and Las Alturas from Oct. 13, 2012-Oct. 13, 2013. A worldwide group of 54 expert systematists are identifying to species level all 72 dipteran families present in the trap samples. Five local technicians sampled and prepared material to the highest curatorial standards, ensuring that collaborator efforts were focused on species identification. This project, currently in its final, third year of operation (to end Sept. 1, 2015), has already recorded 2,348 species and with many more yet expected. Unlike previous All Taxon Biodiversity Inventories, this project has attainable goals and will provide the first complete estimate of species richness for one of the four megadiverse insect orders in a tropical region. Considering that this is the first complete survey of one of the largest orders of insects within any tropical region of the planet, there is clearly great need for a consistent and feasible protocol for sampling the smaller but markedly more diverse smaller insects in such ecosystems. By weight of their species diversity and remarkable divergence of habit, the Diptera are an excellent model to gauge microhabitat diversity within such systems. Our model appears to be the first to provide a protocol that can realistically be expected to provide a portrayal of the true species diversity of a megadiverse order of insects in the tropics.

New species of Eibesfeldtphora Disney (Diptera: Phoridae) and a new key to the genus.

Two new species of parasitoids, Eibesfeldtphora trifurcata and Eibesfeldtphora inornata, are described. Both species were collected in Brazil. A new key is provided and illustrated for the twenty one known species.

New host association: Polybia scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) parasitized by Melaloncha (Diptera, Phoridae)

New host association: Polybia scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) parasitized by Melaloncha (Diptera, Phoridae). The genus Melaloncha Brues is a large assemblage of New World, parasitoid phorid flies. They are parasitoids of Apoidea bees. However, here we present the first record of a wasp parasitized by Melaloncha sp. The new host is Polybia scutellaris (White), a neotropical eusocial wasp. The parasitized wasp was found in an urban park near the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It appears that the genus Melaloncha parasitizes a wider range of social Hymenoptera than currently known.

The species of Phora (Diptera: Phoridae) of Costa Rica

The Phora of Costa Rica were reviewed and three species, all belonging to Schmitz's Group III, were recognized: P. americana Schmitz and Wirth, P. truncata new species and P. paramericana new species. Of the three species, P. americana is by far the most abundant, with the other two species being rarely collected. All specimens were collected in the central highlands of the country. The previous record of the Holarctic Region species P. stictica Meigen from Costa Rica was found to be based on a misidentification of P. truncata.