Microdon

Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants.

This article is about the fly genus. For other species with "microdon" in their species name, see Microdon (disambiguation).

Microdon
Microdon mutabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Syrphidae
Subfamily: Microdontinae
Genus: Microdon
Meigen, 1803
Type species
Musca mutabilis
Subgenera and species groups[1]
Synonyms[1]
Microdon eggeri, larva, third instar

There are 249 species known worldwide, with the greatest diversity being from the tropics; 30 species are known from North America, though it is expected that many of these species will be placed in other genera in time, as Microdon has been used as a catch-all for various unrelated species not placed in other genera.[2][3]

Appearance

Microdon adults look more or less like typical flies. Like some other hoverflies, they are generally robust and very hairy, often closely resembling bees. They are between 8 and 15 mm long. The antennae are rather long, with the last (third) segment nearly as long as, or sometimes significantly longer than, the first segment; the antennae are nearly as long as the fly's face. These flies are covered in black or pale (white or golden) hairs, and are themselves either black or metallic green or blue. The scutellum is with apical calcars and wing vein R4+5 with an appendix. They have simple legs and abdomens.[2]

The real oddity of the genus Microdon is in its larvae and pupae. These are dome-shaped and look like stout little slugs. Their appearance originally led scientists to describe them as mollusks and scale insects.[4] They are slow-moving. Most have the spiracles on a peg-like protuberance extending from the end of their abdomens.

Behaviour

Adult Microdon flies do not behave like other syrphid flies; they do not hover around flowers, but instead remain very near the ant colonies which serve as larval hosts.

Larvae may be found very deep in ant colonies. Some species actively feed on ant larvae in the colony,[4] others are speculated to be scavengers. Microdon larvae are more or less restricted in their ant host species. Some Microdon species have only ever been found in the colonies of a single ant species, while others are restricted to related ant species or genera. Because these flies have such cryptic life cycles, biological information on most species is limited.

Species

Microdon is divided into six subgenera (including Microdon s.s.), plus five species groups and some unplaced species in "Microdon s.l.".[1]

Subgenus Chymophila
Main article: Chymophila

Subgenus Dimeraspis

Subgenus Megodon
Main article: Megodon

Subgenus Microdon s.s.

Nearctic:

= Microdon cockerelli Jones, 1922
= Microdon coloradensis Cockerell & Andrews, 1916
= Microdon modestus Knab, 1917
= Microdon senilis Knab, 1917
= Microdon similis Jones, 1917
= Microdon bombiformis Townsend, 1895
  • Microdon newcomeri Mann, 1924
  • Microdon ocellaris Curran, 1924
  • Microdon piperi Knab, 1917
  • Microdon ruficrus Williston, 1887
= Microdon basicornis Curran, 1925
= Microdon champlaini Curran, 1925
= Microdon robusta Telford, 1939

Neotropical:

  • Microdon aureopilis Marinoni, 2004
  • Microdon barbouri Hull, 1942
  • Microdon bassleri Curran, 1940
  • Microdon bonariensis Lynch Arribalzaga, 1891
  • Microdon brutus Hull, 1944
  • Microdon caesar Curran, 1940
  • Microdon colakriki Reemer, 2014[5]
  • Microdon crassitarsis (Macquart, 1848)
  • Microdon eutristis Curran, 1925
  • Microdon macquartii Lynch Arribalzaga, 1891
= Aphritis angustus Macquart, 1848 (nec Macquart, 1846)
= Microdon angustatus Fluke, 1957 (misspelling)
  • Microdon mourei Marinoni, 2004
  • Microdon remus Curran, 1941
  • Microdon rufiventris (Rondani, 1848)
  • Microdon violaceus (Macquart, 1842)
  • Microdon virgo Curran, 1940

Oriental:

  • Microdon aeneus Keiser, 1952
  • Microdon alboscutatus Curran, 1931
  • Microdon bellus Brunetti, 1923
  • Microdon formosanus Shiraki, 1930
  • Microdon fulvopubescens Brunetti, 1923
  • Microdon fumipennis Hull, 1944
  • Microdon metallicus Meijere, 1904
  • Microdon sumatranus Wulp, 1892
  • Microdon sumbanus Keiser, 1952

Palaearctic:

= Scutelligera? ammerlandia Spix, 1824
= Microdon brevicornis Egger, 1862 (nec Loew, 1857)
= Microdon eggeri Mik, 1897
= Microdon fuscitarsis Schummel, 1842
= Microdon latifrons Loew, 1856
= Buchanania? reticulata Torrez Minguez, 1924
  • Microdon auricomus Coquillett, 1898
  • Microdon dentigiganteus Tian, Huo & Zhang, 2019[6]
  • Microdon devius (Linnaeus, 1761)
= Microdon anthinus Meigen, 1822
= Stratiomys conica Panzer, 1793
= Microdon micans Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822
= Microdon picticornis Mik, 1897
= Stratiomys pigra Schrank, 1803
= Musca viridescens Villers, 1789
  • Microdon hauseri Reemer, 2013[1]
  • Microdon ignotus Violovitsh, 1976
  • Microdon japonicus Yano, 1915
= Microdon jezoensis Matsumura, 1916
  • Microdon kidai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
  • Microdon lateus Violovitsh, 1976
  • Microdon lehri Mutin, 1999
  • Microdon macrocerus Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
  • Microdon major Andries, 1912
  • Microdon mandarinus Reemer, 2013[1]
  • Microdon maritimus Violovitsh, 1976
  • Microdon miki Doczkal & Schmid, 1999
  • Microdon murayamai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
  • Microdon mutabilis (Linnaeus, 1758)
= Mulio apiarius Fabricius, 1805
= Musca apiformis De Geer, 1776
= Aphritis auropubescens Latreille, 1805
= Parmula? cocciformis von Heyden, 1825
= Microdon rhenanus Andries, 1912
= Microdon scutellatus Schummel, 1842
  • Microdon myrmicae Schönrogge, Barr, Wardlaw, Napper, Gardner, Breen, Elmes & Thomas, 2002
  • Microdon mysa Violovitsh, 1971
  • Microdon nigripes Shiraki, 1930
  • Microdon nigrodorsatus Mutin, 2011
  • Microdon novus (Schrank, 1776)
  • Microdon oitanus Shiraki, 1930
  • Microdon podomelainus Huo, Ren & Zheng, 2007
  • Microdon ursitarsis Stackelberg, 1926
  • Microdon yokohamai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
  • Microdon yunnanensis Reemer, 2013[1]

Subgenus Myiacerapis
Main article: Myiacerapis

Subgenus Syrphipogon
Main article: Syrphipogon

Microdon s.l. species groups

craigheadii-group

Nearctic:

erythros-group

Afrotropical:

  • Microdon erythros Bezzi, 1908
= Microdon erytherus Bezzi, 1921 (misspelling)
  • Microdon luteiventris Bezzi, 1915

mirabilis-group

Neotropical:

  • Microdon bertonii Bezzi, 1910
= Microdon arcuata Curran, 1941

tarsalis-group

Afrotropical:

  • Microdon tarsalis Hervé-Bazin, 1913
= Microdon bequaerti Curran, 1929

Unplaced species

Afrotropical:

  • Microdon tsara Keiser, 1971

Australian / Oceanian:

  • Microdon amabilis Ferguson, 1926
  • Microdon macquariensis Ferguson, 1926
  • Microdon nigromarginalis Curran & Bryan, 1926
  • Microdon pictipennis (Macquart, 1850)
= Microdon pictulipennis Hull, 1944
  • Microdon rieki Paramonov, 1957
  • Microdon waterhousei Ferguson, 1926

Oriental:


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References
  1. Reemer, Menno; Ståhls, Gunilla (2013). "Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae)". ZooKeys. 288: 1–213. doi:10.3897/zookeys.288.4095. PMC 3690914. PMID 23798897.
  2. Cheng, Xin-Yue; Thompson, F. Christian (2008). "A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China" (PDF). Zootaxa. New Zealand: Magnolia Press. 1879: 21–48. ISSN 1175-5334. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  3. Thompson, F.C (1981). "Revisionary notes on Nearctic Microdon flies (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington D.C.: Allen Press. 83: 725–758. ISSN 0013-8797.
  4. Duffield, R.M (1981). "Biology of Microdon fuscipennis (Diptera: Syrphidae) with interpretation of reproductive strategies of Microdon species found north of Mexico". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington D.C.: Allen Press. 83: 716–724. ISSN 0013-8797.
  5. Reemer, Menno (2014). "A review of Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Surinam, with a key to the Neotropical genera". Tijdschrift voor Entomologie. 157 (1): 27–57. doi:10.1163/22119434-00002035.
  6. Tian, Jing; Huo, Ke-Ke; Zhang, Chun-Tian; Ren, Bing-Zhong (2019). "Microdon dentigiganteum sp. nov. and other Microdontinae species (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Northeast China". Zootaxa. 4712 (1): 65–76. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4712.1.4.
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