Review of the Gauromydas giant flies (Insecta, Diptera, Mydidae), with descriptions of two new species from Central and South America

Abstract

Gauromydas Wilcox, Papavero & Pimentel, 1989 are giant flies, and include the largest fly known, G. heros (Perty, 1833). This genus was originally erected to group four Neotropical species, namely G. apicalis (Wiedemann, 1830), G. autuorii (d'Andretta, 1951), G. heros, and G. mystaceus (Wiedemann, 1830). As with most of the remaining Mydidae, adults of Gauromydas are very rarely collected. We here describe two new species of Gauromydas (G. mateus sp. nov. and G. papaveroi sp. nov.) discovered in entomological collections, including specimens unstudied for up to eight decades. We also provide revised diagnoses for the remaining four species of Gauromydas, along with a new key and new distribution records for the genus.

Immature stages of two Australian mydas flies (Diptera: Mydidae) of the genera Diochlistus and Miltinus

“…Adult females of Gauromydas Wilcox, Papavero & Pimentel have also been observed entering leafcutter ant nests to oviposit (summarised in Calhau et al . ). A species of Messiasia was reared from a larva found in a kangaroo rat nest in the USA (Wilcox ), but descriptions of the larvae and pupae of this species have not been published.…”

Scaling of sense organs that control flight: Size and sensory cell number of dipteran fly halteres

“…Dipteran flies are a diverse, successful animal order with at least 125 000 species in 130 families (Marshall, 2012). Adults range in body length from 0.4 mm (phorids: Brown, 2012) to 600 mm ( Gauromydas heros : Calhau et al., 2015 or Holorusia mikado : Kolcsár et al., 2021). Dipterans occur in most terrestrial habitats, and a major reason for their success is that they are among the fastest, most aerobatic flying insects.…”

Range Extension of Gauromydas mystaceus (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera, Mydidae) for the Maranhão State, Brazil and Cerrado Biome

“…Tobago (Calhau et al 2015). Adults are mimetic in form and behavior with Pompillidae (Hymenoptera) (Carvalho et al 2012 p. 702).…”

“…The species Gauromydas mystaceus (Wiedemann, 1830) is one of the largest flies in the world, reaching over 40 mm in body length and occurs in French Guyana (Guyane), Guyana (Upper Demerara Berbice), Suriname and Brazil (Pará), always in forested environments (Calhau et al 2015).…”