Actocetor indicus
| Actocetor indicus | ||||||||||||
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Actocetor indicus , male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Actocetor indicus | ||||||||||||
| ( Wiedemann , 1824) |
Actocetor indicus is a fly from the family of salt flies (Ephydridae).
features
The flies reach a body length of 2.2 to 3.8 millimeters and thus belong to the smaller to medium-sized species of salt flies. The feeler bristle has 9 to 12 dorsally arranged bristles. The mesonotum is densely dusted and has a metal to white-gray color, while the pleuras are white to silver-gray. In some individuals, two dark brown, short stripes can be formed in the front back area. The back of the scutellum is about a quarter dark brown, the rest of the same color as the scutum . The wings show a species-specific pattern of whitish spots on a dark background, the color of the holders is light yellow, but the stem is yellow. A light yellow to yellow color predominates on the legs. The metallic, shiny abdomen has a dark blue to black base color, often with yellow to yellowish-red edges or sometimes completely yellowish-red colored tergites .
distribution
Actocetor indicus colonizes large parts of the African continent, the Middle East, southern India, Malaysia and the Seychelles. In Europe finds from the Canary Islands, as well as from the Spanish mainland, from Portugal and from Italy (Sicily) are known. In parts of today's range, such as the Seychelles, the Indian subcontinent and Malaysia, the species seems to have been introduced by humans.
Way of life
Actocetor indicus inhabits sandy areas with only sparsely vegetated vegetation or areas of sand completely devoid of vegetation, but mostly in the vicinity of locations with grass growth. On sandy sea beaches, larger accumulations of organic substrate at the high water mark are preferred as habitat. The larvae of this species probably live saprophagous in different, decomposing organic materials; For example, flies were successfully bred on the excrement of domestic cats, and hatching from damaged clutches of desert locusts is also documented. Adult flies often move around constantly in their habitat, preferring to use shady areas. The wings form an angle of approx. 80 °, but occasionally they are also swiveled in rapid scissor movements. If a male notices a female, it pursues this and immediately tries to sit up to mate. The copula usually takes less than 5 seconds; then the male sits down, the partners stand facing each other and repeatedly touch each other with their outstretched suction trunks . One of the partners takes on a more active role, trembles his wings and touches the eyes of the other animal with his front legs during the "kiss"; this remains largely immobile and passive in its place with its wings wide open.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Dikow, T. and Mathis, WN, 2002: A revision and phylogenetic study of Actocetor Becker (Diptera: Ephydridae) . Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash., 104 (2): 249-290.
- ↑ Carles Tolra, M., 2006: Efidridos nuevos para la Peninsula Iberica (Diptera: Ephydridae) . Heteropterus Revista de Entomologia 6: 137-143
- ↑ Actocetor indicus in EOL
- ↑ Forum naturamediterraneo
- ↑ Mathis, WN, Zatwarnicki, T., Stuke, JH and Deeming, JC, 2017: Order Diptera, family Ephydridae. A conspectus on shore flies from the United Arab Emirates. Arthropod fauna of the UAE, 6: 636-761
