A preliminary account of the fly fauna in Jabal Shada al-A’la Nature Reserve, Saudi Arabia, with new records and biogeographical remarks (Diptera, Insecta)

Abstract

The first list of insects of Al-Baha Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was published in 2013 and contained a total of 582 species; an addendum to this list was published in 2015 adding 142 species and bringing the total number recorded from the province to 724 insect species representing 17 orders. The previous two studies excluded Jabal Shada al-A’la Nature Reserve (SANR), so the present study in SANR, as belonging to Al-Baha Province, are complementary to the previous two. The present study presents a preliminary list of Diptera (Insecta) in SANR, with remarks on their zoogeography, and is the first of a series of planned ecological and systematic studies on different insect orders as one of the outputs of a project proposed to study the entire insect fauna of SANR.A total number of 119 Diptera species belonging to 87 genera, 31 tribes, 42 subfamilies, and representing 30 families has been recorded from SANR in the present study. Some species have been identified only to the genus level and listed herein only because this is the first time to record their genera in KSA. Fourteen of the species are recorded for the first time for KSA, namely: Forcipomyia sahariensis Kieffer, 1923 [Ceratopogonidae]; Chaetosciara sp. [Sciaridae]; Neolophonotus sp.1; Neolophonotus sp.2; Promachus sinaiticus Efflatoun, 1934; Saropogon longicornis (Macquart, 1838); Saropogon sp. [Asilidae]; Spogostylum tripunctatum (Pallas in Wiedemann, 1818) [Bombyliidae]; Phycus sp. [Therevidae]; Hemeromyia sp.; Meoneura palaestinensis Hennig, 1937 [Carnidae]; Desmometopa inaurata Lamb, 1914 [Milichiidae]; Stomoxys niger Macquart, 1851 [Muscidae]; and Sarcophaga palestinensis (Lehrer, 1998) [Sarcophagidae].Zoogeographic affinities of recorded fly species suggest a closer affiliation to the Afrotropical region (46%) than to the Palearctic region (23.5%) or the Oriental region (2.5%). This supports the previous studies’ conclusions and emphasizes the fact that parts of the Arabian Peninsula, including Al-Baha Province, ought to be a part of the Afrotropical Region rather than of the Palaearctic Region or the Eremic Zone.

The Carabidae (Coleoptera) of Shada Al-A’Ala Nature Reserve, Southwestern Saudi Arabia, with description of a new species of Paussinae

“…Biogeographically, SA is heterogeneous region that hosts an interesting mixture of biodiversity from Afrotropical, Palaearctic, and traces of Oriental realms due to its position between Africa and Eurasia (Büttiker 1979; Larsen 1984; Hölzel 1998). This mixture of taxa is also apparent in Baha Province, including SANR (El-Hawagry et al 2016, 2017). The carabid fauna of the SANR is characterized by the prevalence of Afrotropical (28.1%) and Saharo-Arabian (19.3%) elements.…”

“…It is highly variable and characterized by cool winters, warmer partly cloudy summer, and high rainfall. The average annual temperature of 26.2 °C, and average annual rainfall of about 200 mm, and with wettest period concentrated between March and May (43% annual precipitation) (El-Hawagry et al 2016).…”

“…The invertebrate fauna of these protected areas has attracted relatively little attention as compared to those of vertebrates (Abuzinada et al 2005), although international conventions signed by SA as a member of the Convention on Biological Diversity since 2001 (CBD 2011). Recent insect biodiversity survey and monitoring research projects in several protected areas in SA have been conducted by King Saud University Museum of Arthropods, Riyadh; resulting in several faunistic and ecological works being published (Aldhafer et al 2012, 2016; Sharaf et al 2013; Abdel-Dayem et al 2016, 2017, 2018; El-Hawagry et al 2016, 2017, 2018). One of these recent projects was focused on the insect biodiversity of Shada Al-A’Ala Nature Reserve (SANR) in Baha Province in southwestern SA.…”

“…the rock fox, caracal, striped hyena, wolf, genet, and the Arabian leopard) (SWA 2018). Regarding insects, 119 species of flies (Diptera) have been reported from the SANR (El-Hawagry et al 2016).…”

Checklist of flesh flies of Turkey (Diptera, Sarcophagidae)

“…General species distribution was derived mostly from Pape (1996); Pape et al (2015); Povolný and Verves (1997); Verves and Khrokalo (2006a, b, 2009, 2015); Verves et al (2015b); Xue et al (2011, 2015). Additional sources were as follows: Pape et al (2002), Abasa (1970); Abd-AlGalil and Zambare (2016); Abdul-Rassoul et al (2004); Al-Ghzawi et al (2009); Al-Mesbah et al (2012); Aldrich (1916); Amoudi (1993); Arnaud (1975); Arthur and Coppel (1953); Baranov (1929, 1938, 1942); Barnett and Emms (1998); Beaver (1986); Bezzi (1913, 1915, 1921); Blackith et al (1997); Boscarelli and Sandri 2016); Brèthes (1908); Brimley (1938); Brink (2009); Britton (1921); Britvec (2000); Bruce and Knipling (1936); Bryan (1926); Buckell and Spencer (1945); Byers (1962); Calero (1948); Carles-Tolrá and Rosado 2009); Chaiwong et al (2009); Clausen (1978); Cockerell (1905); Coe (1960, 1962); Criddle (1927); Curran (1929); Davis (1971); Dear (1980); Demyanova et al (2007); Diaz and Kaufman (2011); Disney (1973); El-Hawagry et al (2016); Feng et al (2012); Fetene and Worku (2009); Frost et al (2010); Gatt and Ebejer (2014)); Goff (1991); Goff and Odom (1987); Grabovac and Pertič (2005); Grigorian (1988); Hardy (1980); Ho (1938); Hutson (1981); James (1947); Johnson (1912); Kano et al (1999); Kehlmaier (1998); Khan and Khan (1984); Krishnamurti and Usman (1955); Krüger et al (2003); Kurahashi and Chaiwong (2013); Kurahashi and Ka...…”