Eibesfeldtphora breviloba
| Eibesfeldtphora breviloba | ||||||||||||
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| Eibesfeldtphora breviloba | ||||||||||||
| Brown , 2012 |
Eibesfeldtphora breviloba is a fly art from the family of the humpbacked flies (Phoridae). It becomes 2.1 to 2.6 mm long and is a typical representative of the genus Eibesfeldtphora with well-developed wings, a graceful body and a brownish top. E. breviloba lives in the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo , where it parasitizes the leaf cutter ant Atta robusta . The fly lays its eggs in the back of the workers' heads. The hatching larvae eat their way through the head capsule and finally hatch fully pupated from the mouth opening. Since A. robusta is likely the only host of the species and is considered critically endangered, E. breviloba is believed to pose a similar threat.
features
Eibesfeldtphora breviloba is a typical representative of the genus Eibesfeldtphora , which is characterized by a great deal of similarity between its species. So far only female animals have been described. They reach a body length of 2.1–2.6 mm. The front is narrow and brown and has a central furrow. E. breviloba has three times four forehead bristles . The lower interfrontal setae are significantly lower than the lower fronto-orbital steae. Supra-antennale setae are absent from the species as well as from the rest of the genus. E. breviloba has three ocelli and a black ocellar triangle. Palpus and proboscis are small and yellow in color. The first flagellomer is slightly pointed and light brown, antenna bristles are present. The pronotum of E. breviloba is light brown, the scutellum is dark brown and has fine hairs on the front and long bristles on the back. The pleuron of the species is yellow to light brown, the anepisternum is bare. E. breviloba has, as is common for the genus, yellow legs, the back of the tibiae with a series of elongated hairs. The tarsomeres 4 and 5 are fused, the apex of the 5th front tarsomeres is not narrowed. The wings are well developed, the R 2 + 3 vein is present. The swinging bulbs of the species are brown. The abdominal segments 1 to 5 are ventrally yellow, rarely light brown in color; the sixth segment is dark gray and turns yellow towards the back. The abdominal tergites are gray-brown and have a yellow band on the back. The final seventh segment, the oviscap , is diagnostic for the species: As with all Eibesfeldtphora species, it is dark gray, but the wrinkled appendages typical of the genus are very short and largely fused with the oviscap. Both the dorsal and the ventral process are covered with fine hairs.
distribution
The distribution of Eibesfeltphora breviloba probably coincides with that of its host Atta robusta , which means that the species would be restricted to the coastal regions of the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo .
habitat
Little is known about the habitat use of the species. Your host lives in the Restinga dune vegetation on the Brazilian Atlantic coast. E. breviloba females attack female workers along ant roads as well as at nest entrances, but prefer to stay at the latter. This is probably related to the corresponding demands on moisture and light intensity in the microhabitat .
Way of life
According to the current state of knowledge, Eibesfeldtphora breviloba only affects the species of ant Atta robusta . The females attack the workers of this species by flying sideways or from behind towards their heads and laying eggs in the back of their heads with their oviscap. The workers react to the approaching flies by running to the nest entrance, attacking them with their mouthparts or lowering their bodies and covering their heads with their legs. Possibly, the transport of smaller conspecifics on pieces of leaf serves to protect the workers from humpback flies . If E. breviloba is successful in laying eggs, the eggs will likely develop in the ants' head capsule. The hatching larvae feed on the ants' head tissue. A single larva per head pupates between the mouthparts, from where they finally hatch.
Systematics and taxonomy
Eibesfeldtphora breviloba was discovered during field studies by Brazilian entomologists Marcos AL Braganca, Diego S. Gomes, Jarbas M. Queiros and Marcos C. Teixeiras. In 2012 it was described by Brian V. Brown in a joint publication. The specific epithet refers to the broad, lobe-like abdominal processes that are typical of this species. Morphologically it resembles the species E. tonhascai and E. declinata and is systematically probably particularly close to the former.
status
Atta robusta is considered threatened due to the destruction of their habitat. Their range is relatively small and limited to a densely populated coastal region. It is the only known host of E. breviloba and the only representative of the Atta genus in its range. The discoverers of the species therefore assume that the fly is threatened with extinction in the same way as its host.
swell
literature
- Brian V. Brown, Marcos AL Braganca, Diego S. Gomes, Jarbas M. Queiros, Marcos C. Teixeira: Parasitoid Phorid Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from the Threatened Leafcutter Ant Atta robusta Borgmeier (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). In: Zootaxa 3385, 2012. pp. 33-38.