1

An overview of Afrotropical Mydidae – the most diverse mydid fauna world-wide

Torsten DikowBiodiversity Synthesis Center Field Museum of Natural History

2

Overview of presentationMydidae in numbers◊

Afrotropical Mydidae◊

Syllegomydinae in detail◊

Summary◊

Nomoneura caffra Hesse, 1969Eremomidas arabicus Bequaert, 1961 (photo Drew Gardner, UAE)

3

Mydidae – “mydas flies”Imagines flower-feeders, some do not feed at all◊

Larvae possibly predatory◊

472* species and 66 genera world-wide◊

11 subfamily taxa◊

Imagines 9 – 60 mm ◊ (wing length up to 52 mm)

World-wide primarily in arid regions◊

Oldest definitive fossil ◊ Cretomydas santanensis › Crato Formation, Brazil › ≈ 110 Million years

. mydidae in numbers

* includes species currently being described Cretomydas santanensis Willkommen & Grimaldi, 2007

4

Afrotropical Mydidae: geographic overview206* species◊ (= 44 % of world-wide species diversity) – 32 genera (= 48 %) – 5 subfamily taxa

# species◊

.. afrotropical mydidae

4 Oman, Yemen, UAE(2 are endemic to Afrotropical Region)

5 Madagascar(all endemic)

4* Kenya(all previously unknown)

179* southern Africa(all endemic)

5

Afrotropical Mydidae: taxonomic overview

taxon Afrotropical World# genera # species # genera # species

Ectyphinae 2 7* (- 2, + 1) 4 10Leptomydinae 3 5 6 51* (+ 3)Megascelinae 1 2 3 14* (+ 1)Rhopaliinae 2 5 4 21Syllegomydinae 24 182* (+ 5) 25 199

total = 32 206*

Arenomydas namaquensis Hesse, 1969

.. afrotropical mydidae

Afroleptomydas sp.

Author A. Gerstaecker M. Bezzi M. Bequaert A. HesseYear 1868 1924 1938, 1940,

1951, 1959, 1963

1969, 1972, 1974

# species / # genera 7 / 2 16 / 4 26 / 4 126 / 14

6

Ectyphinae – 7* speciesEctyphus Gerstaecker, 1868 – Parectyphus Hesse, 1972

› recorded from eastern Africa (Kenya) for the first time

Ectyphus pinguis Gerstaecker, 1868 + Parectyphus namibiensis Hesse, 1972 (photos by Katie Lyons)

.. afrotropical mydidae

7

Leptomydinae – 5 speciesLeptomydas Gerstaecker, 1868 – Eremomidas Semenov, 1896 – Hessemydas Kondratieff et al., 2005

› Afrotropical Eremomidas not properly placed in Leptomydinae

Eremomidas arabicus Bequaert, 1961 (photo Drew Gardner, UAE) + Hessemydas seyrigi (Séguy, 1960)

.. afrotropical mydidae

8

Megascelinae – 2 speciesTongamya Stuckenberg, 1966 – the most enigmatic Afrotropical Mydidae

› sister taxa in Australia (Neorhaphiomidas) and Chile (Megascelus)

Tongamya miranda Stuckenberg, 1966 + Tongamya stuckenbergi Irwin & Wiegmann, 2001 (African Invertebrates 42: 234)

.. afrotropical mydidae

9

Rhopaliinae – 5 speciesRhopalia Macquart, 1838 – Perissocerus Gerstaecker, 1968

› small and very distinct Mydidae

Rhopalia olivieri Macquart, 1838 + Perissocerus arabicus Bequaert, 1961 (photo Drew Gardner, UAE)

.. afrotropical mydidae

10

Syllegomydinae – 187* species› 24 genera (23 are endemic to Afrotropical Region)

› 9 genera monotypic

› 5 genera with only 2 described species

Cephalocera imitata Hesse, 1969

.. afrotropical mydidae

11

SyllegomydinaeAfroleptomydas Bequaert, 1961 – predominant southern African genus

› 88 species (many only known from type locality)

› 5 species from Willowmore (Eastern Cape, South Africa)

Afroleptomydas suffusipennis (Brunetti, 1929)

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

12

Syllegomydinae: MydaselpidiniAfromydas Bequaert, 1961 – Mydaselpis Bezzi, 1924 – Vespiodes Hesse, 1969 – 16* species

› wasp-like ‘waist’ – largest Afrotropical Mydidae

Mydaselpis peringueyi Bezzi, 1924 + Mydaselpis sp. nov. (Namibia)

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

13

Eremohaplomydas Bequaert, 1959 – Haplomydas Bezzi, 1924 – Lachnocorynus Hesse, 1969 – 4 sp.

› very distinct – not properly placed in Syllegomydinae

Haplomydas crassipes Bezzi, 1924 + Eremohaplomydas desertorum Bequaert, 1959

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

Syllegomydinae: interesting taxa

14

Syllegomydinae: interesting taxaNamibimydas Hesse, 1972 – Nothomydas Hesse, 1969 – 4 species

› very peculiar male terminalia

Namibimydas sp. + Nothomydas gariepinus Hesse, 1969

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

15

Agaperemius Hesse, 1969 – Halterorchis Bezzi, 1924 – Heteroleptomydas Bequaert, 1963 – Mahafalymydas Kondratieff et al., 2005 – Mimadelphus Hesse, 1972 – Neolaparopsis Hesse, 1969 – Notosyllegomydas Hesse, 1969 – Oreomydas Hesse, 1969

› only known from type localities or very few specimens

Neolaparopsis puncturatus Hesse, 1969

Syllegomydinae: interesting taxa

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

16

› several specimens of undescribed species cannot be placed in currently described genera

?genus sp. nov. Ugab (Namibia) + ?genus sp. nov. Gobabeb (Namibia)

Syllegomydinae: interesting taxa

... afrotropical syllegomydinae

17

SummaryAfrotropical Region is most diverse◊

Knowledge of western Africa very poor◊

Still new species to be described◊

Several species synonymies, particularly in southern Africa, need to be addressed◊

Phylogenetic research will highlight ‘new genera’ ◊ for currently unplaced specimens

Namadytes sp.

.... summary

I would be happy to study additional specimens ◊ from your collection!

www.mydidae.tdvia.de

18

AcknowledgementsMuseum curators and collectors who made specimens available◊

Ashley Kirk-Spriggs for organising this symposium◊

Ashley & Mikhail Mostovski for spearheading the Afrotropical Manual◊

U.S. National Science Foundation (REVSYS DEB-0919333)◊