Sarcophagidae (Diptera) do Cerrado Sul Maranhense: expansão na distribuição geográfica de Sarcophaga (Neobelleria) libera Aldrich, 1916

Abstract

Sarcophagidae represents a widely diverse group of dipterans and occupy a variety of ecological niches. However, the flesh flies’ taxonomy is still a challenge, as it primarily uses the analysis of the male genitalia to identify specimens, which is an obstacle to identifying the group in faunal surveys. This research aimed to report the first record of Sarcophaga (Neobellieria) libera Aldrich, 1916 (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) in the Neotropical Region and present a checklist of flesh flies collected in the south of the Maranhão state. The specimens were collected in a native Cerrado biome in the municipality of São Raimundo das Mangabeiras, in the south of the state of Maranhão, using suspended traps with rotting chicken viscera, fish, and bovine liver as bait. This research presents a list of 28 species and 11 (Eleven) genera, including the first occurrence of the species S. (N.) libera for the Neotropical region. In addition, this study raises the need for more research on trophic and behavioral ecology, since these species were collected with ephemeral baits and they are not directly associated with the use of animal carcasses in their life cycle.