Jewelled spider flies of North America: a revision and phylogeny of Eulonchus Gerstaecker (Diptera, Acroceridae)

Borkent, Christopher J.; Gillung, Jéssica P.; Winterton, Shaun L.

doi:10.3897/zookeys.619.8249

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(85 reference statements)

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“…They extend into the longitudinal collecting canal that further opens into the food canal that is connected with the suction pump [ 31 ]. Slender labella appear to be a characteristic feature of long-proboscid nectar-feeding Diptera, e.g., Tabanidae [ 16 , 39 ], Acroceridae [ 40 , 41 ], and Bombyliidae [ 42 , 43 ], and is interpreted as an adaptation to long but very thin nectar tubes of host plants. Reich et al [ 44 ] demonstrated that a narrow entrance into the nectar tube is a characteristic feature of flowers that are specialized to pollination by long-proboscid flies in the Greater Cape Floristic Region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nectar Uptake of a Long-Proboscid Prosoeca Fly (Nemestrinidae)—Proboscis Morphology and Flower Shape

Krenn

Karolyi

Lampert

et al. 2021

Insects

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Several Prosoeca (Nemestinidae) species use a greatly elongated proboscis to drink nectar from long-tubed flowers. We studied morphological adaptations for nectar uptake of Prosoecamarinusi that were endemic to the Northern Cape of South Africa. Our study site was a small isolated area of semi-natural habitat, where the long-tubed flowers of Babiana vanzijliae (Iridaceae) were the only nectar source of P. marinusi, and these flies were the only insects with matching proboscis. On average, the proboscis measured 32.63 ± 2.93 mm in length and less than 0.5 mm in diameter. The short labella at the tip are equipped with pseudotracheae that open at the apical margin, indicating that nectar is extracted out of the floral tube with closed labella. To quantify the available nectar resources, measurements of the nectar volume were taken before the flies were active and after observed flower visits. On average, an individual fly took up approximately 1 µl of nectar per flower visit. The measured nectar quantities and the flower geometry allowed estimations of the nectar heights and predictions of necessary proboscis lengths to access nectar in a range of flower tube lengths.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nectar Uptake of a Long-Proboscid Prosoeca Fly (Nemestrinidae)—Proboscis Morphology and Flower Shape

Krenn

Karolyi

Lampert

et al. 2021

Insects

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“…Püllomen has also been referred to as "Alwe or Püllomen Alwe", the soul of a deceased ancestor that may take the form of a blue fly and act as a protector spirit [30]. a metallic blue coloration that also refers to its common name "jeweled spider fly" [36].…”

Section: Cultural Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Püllomen: an ethnoecological perspective of the Mapuche protector spirit insect

Muñoz‐Sáez¹

2020

Preprint

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Biodiversity plays an important role in cultural worldviews, influencing myths, stories, and spiritual beliefs of indigenous peoples. This short review explores an ecological phenomenon that may have influenced and contributed to the development of the Mapuche good spirit insect (Püllomen), which represents the spirit of someone who passed away and comes back to the world of the living providing companion and protection on the land to their relatives. Püllomen is also represented in ceremonial silverwork jewelry. An extensive literature search related to the Püllomen and other insects and their relationship with indigenous cosmovisions in the Americas was analyzed. A novel link between an ecological phenomenon and anthropological literature review is proposed to hypothesize how this Püllomen belief could be developed from the behavior of a parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Pepsis limbata on Araneae: Grammostola rosea). This brief perspective piece is a modest contribution to the vast task of elevating and preserving living traditional ecological knowledge and nature-inspired spiritual beliefs. Biocultural conservation of orally communicated traditional knowledge through generations and the conservation of associated biodiversity is key to preserving Mapuche cosmovision.

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“…Only two species of Nemestrinidae are found in Canada (Table 1), the same as in 1979, and these are confined to the central arid regions of British Columbia. Twenty species of Acroceridae are recorded from Canada; a key to New World genera is available in Schlinger et al (2013), but only one recent revision has included Canadian records (Borkent et al 2016). A few more acrocerid species are therefore expected in the country.…”

Section: Suborder Brachycera: Lower Brachyceramentioning

confidence: 99%

Diptera of Canada

Savage¹,

Borkent²,

Brodo³

et al. 2019

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The Canadian Diptera fauna is updated. Numbers of species currently known from Canada, total Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), and estimated numbers of undescribed or unrecorded species are provided for each family. An overview of recent changes in the systematics and Canadian faunistics of major groups is provided as well as some general information on biology and life history. A total of 116 families and 9620 described species of Canadian Diptera are reported, representing more than a 36% increase in species numbers since the last comparable assessment by JF McAlpine et al. (1979). Almost 30,000 BINs have so far been obtained from flies in Canada. Estimates of additional number of species remaining to be documented in the country range from 5200 to 20,400.

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Jewelled spider flies of North America: a revision and phylogeny of Eulonchus Gerstaecker (Diptera, Acroceridae)

Cited by 9 publications

References 35 publications

Nectar Uptake of a Long-Proboscid Prosoeca Fly (Nemestrinidae)—Proboscis Morphology and Flower Shape

Nectar Uptake of a Long-Proboscid Prosoeca Fly (Nemestrinidae)—Proboscis Morphology and Flower Shape

Püllomen: an ethnoecological perspective of the Mapuche protector spirit insect

Diptera of Canada

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