Termite flies
| Termite flies | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Termitoxeniinae | ||||||||||||
| Wasmann , 1901 |
The termite flies ( Termitoxeniinae) are a subfamily of the humpback flies (Phoridae). They represent about 30 species of the total of about 120 (termitophilic) humpback flies that live in close association with termites.
Life cycle and way of life
Termite flies live as social parasites in the mushroom gardens of tropical, fungus-growing termite species of the Termitidae , subfamily Macrotermitinae , especially of the genera Macrotermes and Odontotermes . The adult females are long-lived, they shear off their wings when entering the termite nest (usually through the central chimney of the termite mound ) and then no longer leave the nest. In the animals, which previously hardly differed in shape from other humpback flies, the abdomen swells strongly ( called physogastry ) and curves downwards so that the anus finally points forward. The females lay down enormous sized eggs one after the other. An extremely short-lived larva hatches from each egg; all larval stages are passed through in a few minutes (e.g. Clitelloxenia hemicyclica ) up to a few hours (e.g. Javanoxenia puntiventris , Odontoxenia brevirostris ). While the larvae of Clitelloxenia do not eat at all, those of the other two genera eat a little on the conidia of the cultivated fungus (genus Termitomyces ). The flies that hatch from the pupae are of normal shape (stenogastric) and winged, they fly out of the termite den; mostly males and females mate above the burrow. While the males then die, the females fly back into a termite den.
Soldiers of the host species notice approaching termite flies and try to prevent them from landing and entering the nest. However, once penetrated females are tolerated. This is probably due to substances released by the females that have an attractive effect (as allomon ). The animals are integrated into the termite state and exchange signals with the workers.
distribution
Termitoxeniinae live in the tropical to subtropical range of their host species in Africa and Asia, east to Japan.
Taxonomy and systematics
Wasmann originally described the group as an independent family Termitoxeniidae. He only had phyogastric females before him, and he also misinterpreted his (incomplete) material on many points; so he assumed that the animals would only develop short wing stubs and that they were hermaphrodites (hermaphrodites), in which a male stage preceded the female. All of this later turned out to be wrong. Based on this description, stenogastric females of a number of species were described a second time in the subfamily Alamirinae (to be abandoned later) as new species. No males were known of either. It turned out that these, too, had already been described for many species as the "genus" Perissa without the connection being recognized. A detailed examination of one species ( Clitelloxenia assmuthi ) also showed that the body proportions of the adult female still shifted massively after hatching, this is explained by delayed growth due to juvenile hormone absorbed with the hemolymph of the host term - this species alone is therefore in the various stages of development has been described six times.
Based on this knowledge, the Termitoxeniinae are now listed as a subfamily of the Phoridae. A molecular study reveals a possible relationship to the subfamily Thaumatoxeninae , which also parasitizes termites . However, the subfamily Phorinae were both paraphyletic , there were possible relationships to a genus of Phorinae ( Dohrniphora ), which also lives in the mushroom gardens of Macrotermitinae. Both groups may therefore have to be integrated into the Phorinae (as tribes), but this has to be clarified in further studies.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Steen Dupont & Thomas Pape (2009): A review of termitophilous and other termite-associated scuttle flies worldwide (Diptera: Phoridae). Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews 2 (1): 3-40. doi : 10.1163 / 187498309X435649
- ↑ RHLDisney (1994): Scuttle Flies: The Phoridae. Chapter 5: Development. Springer publishing house. ISBN 978-94-011-1288-8
- ↑ Maruyama, M., Komatsu, T., Disney, RHL (2011): Discovery of the termitophilous subfamily Termitoxeniinae (Diptera: Phoridae) in Japan, with description of a new genus and species. Entomological Science 14: 75-81. doi : 10.1111 / j.1479-8298.2010.00409.x
- ^ RHL Disney & Meg S. Cumming (1992): Abolition of Alamirinae and ultimate rejection of Wasmann's theory of hermaphroditism in Thermitoxeniinae (Diptera, Phoridae). Bonn Zoological Contributions NF 43 (1): 145–154.
- ^ RHL Disney (1997): Post-eclosion heterochrony in the maturation of the adult females of a termitophilous fly (Diptera, Phoridae). Bonn Zoological Contributions 47 (1/2): 77–86.
- ↑ Charles E. Cook, Jeremy J. Austin, Henry L. Disney (2004): A mitochondrial 12S and 16S rRNA phylogeny of critical genera of Phoridae (Diptera) and related families of Aschiza. Zootaxa 593: 1-11.