Where Is My Food? Brazilian Flower Fly Steals Prey from Carnivorous Sundews in a Newly Discovered Plant-Animal Interaction

A new interaction between insects and carnivorous plants is reported from Brazil. Larvae of the predatory flower fly Toxomerus basalis (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) have been found scavenging on the sticky leaves of several carnivorous sundew species (Drosera, Droseraceae) in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states, SE Brazil. This syrphid apparently spends its whole larval stage feeding on prey trapped by Drosera leaves. The nature of this plant-animal relationship is discussed, as well as the Drosera species involved, and locations where T. basalis was observed. 180 years after the discovery of this flower fly species, its biology now has been revealed. This is (1) the first record of kleptoparasitism in the Syrphidae, (2) a new larval feeding mode for this family, and (3) the first report of a dipteran that shows a kleptoparasitic relationship with a carnivorous plant with adhesive flypaper traps. The first descriptions of the third instar larva and puparium of T. basalis based on Scanning Electron Microscope analysis are provided.

Insecta Saundersiana : or, Charcters of undescribed insects in the collection of William Wilson Saunders.

v.4 (1858) [Homoptera]

Katalog der Paläarktischen dipteren / bearbeitet von Th. Becker ... [et al.].

Bd. 2

Catalogus dipterorum hucusque descriptorum /

v. 3 (1908)

Katalog der Paläarktischen dipteren / bearbeitet von Th. Becker ... [et al.].

Bd. 4

Katalog der Paläarktischen dipteren / bearbeitet von Th. Becker ... [et al.].

Bd. 3

Catalogus dipterorum hucusque descriptorum /

v. 6 (1909)

Catalogus dipterorum hucusque descriptorum /

v. 7 (1910)

Katalog der Paläarktischen dipteren / bearbeitet von Th. Becker ... [et al.].

Bd. 1

Catalogus dipterorum hucusque descriptorum /

v. 4 (1909)

Catalogus dipterorum hucusque descriptorum /

v. 5 (1909)

List of the specimens of British animals in the collection of the British Museum.

pt.15 (1853) [Nomenclature of Diptera.I]

The interstitial subsoil fauna on the beach of Sarso Island, Red Sea

The scope of this research was to find out, how important is the presence of brackish water for the formation of the characteristical littoral subsoil fauna in the interstitial spaces of beaches. There is little precipitation in the Red Sea area and therefore little influence of freshwater on the beach. Moreover, the sandy beach of Sarso Island (Farasan Archipelago) is bordered landwards and underneath by solid limestone, preventing subsoil fresh water, if there is any, from penetrating into the beach region. The salinity of the interstitial water from Sarso beach lies a little above the salinity of the adjacent sea. The microfauna of Sarso beach is composed to a rather big proportion of such species that are known to be characteristical littoral subsoil water species, partially of world wide distribution. The ecological analysis of this fauna, i.e. the freeliving Nematodes, reveals the presence of two distinct associations: 1. the association of the low level subsoil region, close to the sea, with clear interstitial water, subject to regular exchange with the water of the adjcent sea. 2. the association of the high level subsoil region, 4-10 meter distant from the sea, with brownish water. Contrary to earlier results there is no distinction in salinity between the two associations, so it is not longer justified to apply the term brackish water fauna on the animals living in the association of the high level subsoil region.