Revision of the Brazilian species of Ptilodexia Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 (Diptera: Tachinidae: Dexiinae), with the description of a new species.

The Brazilian species of the New World genus Ptilodexia Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 are revised. Before this study, only one species of Ptilodexia was recorded from Brazil, viz. P. lateralis (Walker, 1836). Herein we record, for the first time, two new records of known Ptilodexia species in Brazil, viz. P. striata (Wulp, 1891) and P. rubricornis (Wulp, 1891). In addition, a new species is described, Ptilodexia matogrossensis sp. nov. from Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states in Brazil; hence four species of this genus are currently recorded from Brazil. The species Neomyostoma ptilodexioides Townsend, 1935, from Brazil, placed in the monotypic genus Neomyostoma Townsend, 1935, is proposed as junior synonym of P. lateralis. Illustrations and detailed descriptions are presented for P. lateralis, P. matogrossensis sp. nov., P. striata and P. rubricornis and the male terminalia is described for P. lateralis and P. striata. The female terminalia and the first larval instar are described for the first time for the genus, based on the descriptions of P. lateralis and P. striata. A key to the identification of all recognized Brazilian species of Ptilodexia is presented. Finally, an updated distributional record is given for all studied species.

First record of Fanniidae (Diptera) from New Caledonia.

The family Fanniidae is newly recorded to New Caledonia. Adult male and female of Fannia capitalis Pont are illustrated as well as the peculiar male terminalia, the female ovipositor, and the egg. Male phallic process and egg are described for the first time.

Ethiopian muscids (Diptera, Muscidae) egg-carriers of Stylogaster Macquart (Diptera, Conopidae).

We here report for the first time on the presence of three species of the conopid genus Stylogaster Macquart (Diptera, Conopidae) in Ethiopia, viz. S. nitens Brunetti, S. westwoodi Smith and Stylogaster sp.. We further screened 908 muscid flies (Diptera, Muscidae) for the presence of impaled eggs of Stylogaster and recorded eggs on 89 individuals (9.8%). Eggs were impaled on eight species, viz. Limnophora translucida Stein, Musca lusoria Wiedemann, Musca splendens Pont, Neomyia chrysopyga (Emden), Pseudohelina nigritarsis (Jaennicke), Stomoxys omega Newstead, Stomoxys taeniatus Bigot and Stomoxys varipes (Bezzi). The maximum number of eggs found on a single muscid was six. We illustrated the dissected eggs. L. translucida, M. lusoria, M. splendens, N. chrysopyga and S. varipes are reported as new muscid hosts species for Stylogaster.

The predator Coenosia Attenuata Stein (Diptera, Muscidae) on cultivated plants from Brazil.

Coenosia attenuata Stein (1903) is a predatory fly that is commonly found in greenhouses and open fields preying on whiteflies, leafminers, psocopterans and other insects. The species is widespread in the Old World and its distribution has expanded in recent times to Neotropical countries including Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru. We report here for the first time the presence of C. attenuata in Brazil, occurring in different sites in the State of Ceará (Northeastern Brazil). Expansion of the distribution range of this muscid to the eastern parts of South America opens up the possibility of applying the beneficial predator as a biological control agent for protected crops of the region.

A new name for Agromyza flava Sousa & Couri (Diptera: Agromyzidae).

A new name Agromyza pauciflava nom. nov. is proposed for Agromyza flava Sousa & Couri.

New Agromyza Fallén (Diptera, Agromyzidae) from Brazil and a key for the Neotropical species.

Agromyza Fallén (Diptera, Agromyzidae) is a genus of leaf mining flies, including species with high economic importance. The knowledge of this genus is very poor in the neotropics, with 12 known species, only six of them recorded from Brazil. This paper describes two new Agromyza species from "Cerrado" and "Pantanal" biomes and records three other species represented only by females that could not be identified to species level. We also present a taxonomic key to segregate the 14 Neotropical species. The specimens were collected in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states and are deposited at Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo (São Paulo, Brazil) and Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) collections. The adults were photographed and the male terminalia were dissected and illustrated.

Diversity of insect galls associated with coastal shrub vegetation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Surveys in the coastal sandy plains (restingas) of Rio de Janeiro have shown a great richness of galls. We investigated the galling insects in two preserved restingas areas of Rio de Janeiro state: Parque Estadual da Costa do Sol and Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Caruara. The collections were done each two months, from June 2011 to May 2012. We investigated 38 points during 45 minutes each per collection. The galls were taken to the laboratory for rearing the insects. A total number of 151 insect galls were found in 82 plant species distributed into 34 botanic families. Most of the galls occurred on leaves and the plant families with the highest richness of galls were Myrtaceae and Fabaceae. All the six insect orders with galling species were found in this survey, where Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) was the main galler group. Hymenoptera and Thysanoptera were found as parasitoids and inquilines in 29 galls. The richness of galls in the surveyed areas reveals the importance of restinga for the composition and diversity of gall-inducing insect fauna.

The classic episode of biological invasion: Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) versus Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) - evaluation of the biotic potential.

The classic episode of biological invasion: Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) versus Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) - evaluation of the biotic potential. The biotic of the native fly Cochliomyia macellaria and the exotic Chrysomya megacephala was compared, through the reproductive capacity and longevity. The experiment took place in a climatized chamber, with four repetitions of 15 grouped couples of each species. The posture, egg mass weight, and death of individuals were observed daily. C. macellaria showed an average of longevity of 27.72 days while in C. megacephala the average was 41.96 days. The egg mass weight average per repetition was 0.58 g and 1.22 g, respectively. These results give a better understanding about the population dynamics of these species in nature.

Intrapuparial development of Chrysomya putoria (Diptera: Calliphoridae).

The intrapuparial development of 150 pupae of Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) was analyzed. The material was kept in a climate chamber at 27 degrees C (day) and 25 degrees C (night), 60 +/- 10% relative humidity (RH), and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h, which started at 06:00 a.m. Daily, 30 pupae were frozen at - 15 degrees C, for the sacrifice of the insects, and the immatures obtained were photomicrographed until the emergence of the adults. The following stages were observed: pupariation process: during this process, reduction of the larvae's first three body segments and the darkening of the cuticle occur; cryptocephalic phase after 18 h; phanerocephalic phase after 24 h; body division after 48 h. Between the third and the fourth days of the development, the stage ofpharate adult was reached, characterized by the following changes in the color of the compounds eyes: 1) orange eyes, after 66 h; 2) red eyes, after 72 h; 3) dark red eyes, after 90 h; 4) brown eyes, after 96 h. The time of intrapuparial development of C. putoria at 2 degrees C (day) and 25 degrees C (night), 60 +/- 10% RH, and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h was 5 d.

Hydrellia Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Ephydridae) from Brazil with an emphasis on the faunas from the states of Parana and Rio de Janeiro.

With more than 200 species worldwide, Hydrellia Robineau-Desvoidy is the largest genus of the family Ephydridae (Diptera). However, knowledge of this genus is much reduced in Brazil and throughout the Neotropical Region, where only 8 species are known, including one from Brazil (H. xanthocera Cresson). The objective of this study is to review the species of Hydrellia from Brazil, with an emphasis on the faunas of Paraná and Rio de Janeiro states. Six new species are described: H. bocaiuvensis sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Bocaiúva do Sul, 25°14.9'S, 49°8.9'W, 890 m), H. longiseta sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Parque Iguaçú, 25°33.4'S, 49°13.6'W, 880 m),H. vilelai sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Bocaiúva do Sul, 25°16.6'S, 48°58.5'W, 770 m), H. simplex sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Parque Iguaçú, 25°33.4'S, 49°13.6'W, 880 m) e H. schneiderae sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Parque Iguaçú (25°33.4'S, 49°13.6'W, 880 m), H. similis sp. nov. (Brazil, Paraná, Bocaiúva do Sul, 25°14.9'S, 49°8.9'W, 890 m). Seven new registers are recorded: H. agitator (Pará), H. apalachee (Paraná and Rio de Janeiro), H. calverti (Amazonas and Paraná), H. cavator (Rio de Janeiro), H. tibialis (Amazonas, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro), H. vulgaris (Paraná, São Paulo, Santa Catarina and Rio de Janeiro), H. wirthi (Pará, Paraná and Santa Catarina). Together with H. xanthocera, Hydrellia now includes 14 species from Brazil.

Sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) from Philornis seguyi (García, 1952) and Philornis torquans (Nielsen, 1913) (Diptera: Muscidae).

Philornis Meinert, 1890 (Diptera: Muscidae) is a genus of Neotropical dipterans that parasitise birds. The currently used external morphological characters to distinguish between species within this genus present some limitations. We used the second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) of the rRNA gene as a molecular marker to differentiate adult specimens of Philornis identified morphologically as Philornis torquans and Philornis seguyi from different localities. Specimens identified as P. seguyi from Magdalena (Buenos Aires Province) showed an ITS2 sequence different from that for P. torquans, whereas all other specimens of P. seguyi had sequences identical to those for P. torquans. These findings do not necessarily confirm that specimens from Magdalena indeed belong to P. seguyi, nor that P. seguyi is a valid species. Instead, they alert us about the potential for species misidentification when using morphological characters alone. The use of molecular approaches to aid the identification of Philornis spp. will shed light on the systematics of this group. P. torquans is reported for the first time in Mendoza Province and Uruguay.

New species and redescriptions of the New Zealand genus Exsul Hutton (Diptera: Muscidae: Coenosiinae).

Exsul Hutton (Diptera, Muscidae) is revised and the genus diagnosis is enlarged. The female of Exsul singularis Hutton is described for the first time. The male and female terminalia of all species are described and illustrated. Exsul alfredoi sp. n. is described and illustrated and compared with the other known species. A key to separate the species is given.

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.

Neotropical Stomopogon (Diptera, Muscidae): new species, redescriptions and key to species.

Stomopogon Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae) is a Neotropical genus recorded from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Peru. In this contribution, the genus is revised, and three new species are described, one from Bolivia (Murillo, La Paz), one from Brazil (Palmas, Paraná) and one from Peru (Wayqecha, Cuzco). The descriptions include color images, illustrations and ultrastructural morphology of the terminalia of the adult. We provide an identification key to the species of Stomopogon and an updated map with species' distributions. Stomopogon acuta (Malloch, 1934) is proposed as a new junior synonym of S. inculta Stein, 1911.

Type specimens of Coenosiini (Diptera, Muscidae) deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Berlin, Germany).

The Museum für Naturkunde of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin houses one of the most important and extensive collections of Muscidae (Diptera) in Europe as it includes more than 700 species described by Paul Stein and many others described by two other European dipterists, F. H. Loew and T. Becker. The relevance of the collection is even greater due to the excellent geographic coverage of this material. In this paper, we give a morphological and taxonomic revision of the 114 types of Coenosiini deposited in this collection. Differential diagnoses, notes on the types and photographs of some of them (habitus and labels) are provided.

On Aethiopomyia Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae) with the revision of the type specimens deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (Germany) with a key to species.

Aethiopomyia Malloch (Diptera, Muscidae) is a small genus with occurrence restricted to the Afrotropical region. Only five species are currently known in this genus: A. patersoni Zumpt, 1969, A. williamsi Snyder, 1951, A. arguta (Karsch, 1879), A. steini Curran, 1935, and A. gigas (Stein, 1906). All Aethiopomyia species are large, reaching up to 15 mm, as in A. patersoni and the most visible differences among them are based in the color pattern of the body. The species are mostly yellow, with a broad scutum and abdomen, males and females are dichoptic, the anepimeron is haired and they have stubby spines on the upper side of the palpi. Phylogenetically, Aethiopomyia, together with two other genera restricted to the Afrotropical region, Alluaudinella Giglio-Tos and Ochromusca Malloch, appear to form a monophyletic group, defined by the presence of the remarkably short stubby spines on the upper side of the palpi. Four species deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin (Germany) were analyzed; three of them are types. Diagnosis for all species, colored illustrations, male dissections and illustrations and a key to separate them are presented herein.

A remarkable new Coenosiini genus (Diptera, Muscidae) from Colombian Páramos.

The new genus, Sumapazomyia gen. nov., is proposed for a new species, S. inusitata sp. nov., from the National Natural Park Sumapaz, Bogota, Colombia. The unique morphology of the head and mouthparts, in combination with characters from the male and female terminalia, demonstrate that this new species represents a new and remarkable genus within the muscid tribe Coenosiini.

Occurrence of the Parasitic Fly Philornis torquans on Fledglings of the Rufous-Fronted Thornbird ( Phacellodomus rufifrons) in Southeast Brazil.

Philornis is a neotropical genus of muscid fly that interacts with birds and may affect the development and survival of the birds' offspring. Although Philornis is a relatively common parasite, there is a lack of information about Philornis hosts in several parts of the Americas. In this study, two nests of the Rufousfronted Thornbird ( Phacellodomus rufifrons) were collected in Pedro Leopoldo, southeast Brazil. The first contained four nestlings of advanced age (about 20 d old) and a recently emerged Philornis torquans female adult fly. The second nest contained three nestlings (less than 7 d old) and several Philornis torquans subcutaneous larvae. One of the nestlings was infested by 53 larvae, which had attacked several parts of its body and caused individual wounds containing 1 to more than 15 larvae. The length of the larvae ranged from 3 to 18 mm and only one was a second instar; the remaining 69 were third instars. The pupal period lasted 9-13 d. In total, 71 larvae were collected from the nest, with nestling parasitism varying from 7 to 53 larvae (mean- 23.7±25.5 larvae/nestling).

Organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments and crabs (Chasmagnathus granulata, Dana, 1851) from mangroves of Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Organochlorinated compounds, seven indicator PCB congeners, DDT and its main metabolites, were determined in sediment and crab (Chasmagnathus granulata) samples collected from mangrove areas near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Samples were analysed according to the FAO/SIDA protocols using continuous non-polar solvent extraction and a conventional GC-ECD apparatus. The highest levels of total PCB congeners and total DDT metabolites in sediments (184.16 and 37.40 ng g(-1)d.w. respectively) and crab eggs (570.62 and 98.22 ng g(-1)d.w. respectively) were found at impacted mangroves. The higher PCB congeners than DDT metabolites levels suggesting a stronger industrial impact in this area. The results indicate that the population density of crab is negatively affected by sediment contamination that is reflected basically by the organochlorine content in the female eggs. The organochlorine concentration in eggs is more significant to evaluate or estimate an impact of these pollutants upon C. granulata population than the organochlorine concentration in sediment samples.