Diversity and synanthropy of flies (Diptera: Calyptratae) from Ecuador, with new records for the country

Abstract

Abstract: The Calyptratae are one of the most diverse groups of Diptera. Some species have immature states involved in the decomposition of organic matter of animal origin (i.e., they are sarcosaprophagous). In this study, we examined the diversity and synanthropy of sarcosaprophagous calyptrates in several environmental zones of the Ecuadorian Andes. Captures were performed in an urban zone located in the Tocachi community with monocultures (MC) and polycultures (PC), a rural zone with an agroecological farming system (AFS), and a forest zone with a montane forest located in the Parque Arqueológico Cochasquí (PAC) and the Cochasquí montane forest (CMF). A total of 2,925 specimens of Calyptratae were collected, representing 38 morphotypes and 17 species. Four are new reports for Ecuador: Dolichophaonia trigona (Shannon & Del Ponte), Phaonia trispila (Bigot), Compsomyiops melloi Dear, and Calliphora lopesi Mello. CMF and PAC presented high abundance and richness, followed by AFS, MC, and PC; PAC showed the highest diversity, in contrast to lowest in MC; the evenness decreased from forest to urban zones. Species that exhibited a preference for human settlements (positive synanthropic index) included Limnophora marginata Stein, Phaonia trispila, Lucilia cuprina (Wiedemann), Calliphora lopesi, Compsomyiops melloi, and Calliphora nigribasis Macquart. Those with a preference for uninhabited areas (negative index) included Tricharaea sp1, Sarconesiopsis magellanica (Le Guillou), and Sarconesia chlorogaster (Wiedemann).