Corresponding author: Adrian C. Pont (
Academic editor: P. Cerretti
New records are provided for
Ivković M, Pont AC (2015) New records of Muscidae (Diptera) from Mediterranean countries. ZooKeys 496: 131–144. doi:
Muscid flies are one of the largest groups of
In this paper new records of various genera of
In the course of various ecological and taxonomic projects and surveys by M.I., many muscid flies were collected by means of emergence traps set in streams and small rivers at five sites in Plitvice Lakes National Park and at two sites at Krka National Park, both in Croatia. Traps were emptied once a month, at the end of each month. Each trap had a surface area of 45 × 45 cm (and height 50 cm), was fixed in the sediment of the stream, and contained 2% formaldehyde; six traps were placed at each location (Fig.
Spring of Bijela Rijeka, Plitvice Lakes, Croatia, emergence trap.
Additional sampling using an aspirator and a sweep net took place between March 2011 and June 2014 at various localities in the eastern Mediterranean part of Europe and from April to June 2013 in the Sierra Nevada, Spain (western Mediterranean). All
The list of sampling sites.
Site name | Longitude | Latitude | Altitude (m) |
---|---|---|---|
Río Sucio, Las Barreras (Órgiva), Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
500 |
Barranco Frío, Hoya Carlos, Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
1560 |
Río Chico, Soportújar, Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
746 |
Río Aguas Blancas, Cenes de la Vega, Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
760 |
Río Genil, Barranco San Juan, Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
1200 |
Río Maitena, Desembocadura, Sierra Nevada, Spain |
|
|
1018 |
Djedovica by Rupnica, Papuk Mountain, Croatia |
|
|
366 |
Dubočanka stream, Papuk Mountain, Croatia |
|
|
585 |
Channel Sava River-Odra River, village Kuče, Croatia |
|
|
99 |
|
|
720 | |
|
|
715 | |
|
|
670 | |
|
|
630 | |
|
|
545 | |
|
|
390 | |
Spring Krčić, Croatia |
|
|
390 |
Stream Strmica by Golubić, Croatia |
|
|
245 |
Spring of Krka River, Croatia |
|
|
265 |
|
|
55 | |
|
|
45 | |
Spring Glavaš, Cetina River, Croatia |
|
|
385 |
Jabučica stream, National Park Sutjeska, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
|
767 |
Spring Bukovica, Durmitor Mountain, Montenegro |
|
|
1346 |
Bukovica Stream, Durmitor Mountain, Montenegro |
|
|
1240 |
Spring Jeremija, Kolašin, Montenegro |
|
|
1070 |
River Murinska rijeka, Montenegro |
|
|
1000 |
Alipaša’s springs, Montenegro |
|
|
930 |
use of emergence pyramid traps
The following format is used for the records given here: country, name of the site, followed by the sampling date (in the case of collections from the pyramid emergence traps, the trap number is also given), and the number of sampled specimens. All the sites are listed in Table
A Holarctic genus. The 26 European species are largely confined to higher altitudes. Twelve species are known from the Balkan Peninsula. Adults are well-known to visit flowers, where they feed on both nectar and pollen (
Widespread and common in the West Palaearctic. New for Croatia.
This a speciose genus, well represented in all biogeographic regions. There are 83 European species, of which18 have been found in the Balkan Peninsula. Adult
Widespread in the Palaearctic, but nowhere common. New for Montenegro.
A very common, widespread and eurytopic species in the Palaearctic. Larvae are terrestrial, found in a wide variety of microhabitats (
Another speciose genus, present in all biogeographic regions. There are 81 European species of which 14 are known from the Balkan Peninsula. Adults are mostly found on flowers or resting on tree trunks, wooden posts, etc. Larvae are carnivorous and live in soil, in fungi and in decaying wood. Some live in the tunnels of wood boring beetles (
Widespread in Europe, but nowhere common. Larvae develop in sap runs in broad-leaved trees where they prey on the larvae of other
A common West Palaearctic species. Larvae have been found in decaying wood and fungi. New for Croatia.
This is a small genus of some 35 species. There are six species in Europe, five of which are known from the Balkan Peninsula. Larvae are obligate carnivores and live mostly in dung.
A Holarctic species, and common throughout the Palaearctic region. New for Croatia.
A large genus, found in all biogeographic regions. There are 27 species in Europe of which 13 are known from the Balkan Peninsula. Species of the genus
Southern Europe, but an uncommon species.
So far this species is known only from Croatia.
Widespread in the West Palaearctic. New for Montenegro.
Widespread in the West Palaearctic.
Described from Croatia (Dalmatia) and found in southern Europe and the Middle East.
Widespread and common throughout the Palaearctic region, and closely associated with fast-flowing rivers and streams.
Widespread in the southern Palaearctic and in the Oriental region. New for Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Common throughout the Palaearctic region.
The most widespread species of the genus and common throughout the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions. Adults are aggressive predators of
Widespread in the western Palaearctic. New for Montenegro.
A speciose genus, found in all regions. Some 80 species are known from Europe, of which 24 are found in the Balkan Peninsula. Species are found in meadows, forests and damp habitats. Both adults and larvae are predaceous. Larvae are terrestrial, living in a wide range of habitats (
Widespread in the western Palaearctic. New for Croatia.
This is the first record of the species since its description in 1972, and it is still known only from the Sierra Nevada, Spain. This is a unique species of
A southern European species. New for Croatia.
Throughout the Palaearctic region.
A Holarctic species. The larvae live in the soil and are predators of earthworms (
A small genus in Europe with only 12 species, six of which are known from the Balkan Peninsula. Adults are predaceous on other small insects. No larvae of the European species have been described, but it was suspected that they would be aquatic as the adults are usually found in the vicinity of running water. This is confirmed by the records of the three species given here, all of which were caught in emergence traps set in the water.
Central and southern Europe and North Africa. This is the first confirmation of an aquatic life-cycle for this species.
This species was described from Croatia and is a Mediterranean and Afrotropical species. This is the first confirmation of an aquatic life-cycle for this species.
Throughout the Palaearctic region, but an uncommon species. This is the first confirmation of an aquatic life-cycle for this species. New for Croatia.
Only two species of
Nothing is known of the biology of this species but the present rearing indicates that the larvae are aquatic. Throughout Europe, and also in East Africa. New for Croatia.
The
Including the new records given here, current totals for the countries of the former Yugoslavia are as follows:
Bosnia-Herzegovina: 45 (11 in
Croatia: 91 (79 in
Slovenia: 93 (85 in
Macedonia: 39 (39 in
Serbia: 45
Montenegro: 17 (89 in
For comparison, 138 species are known from the Greek Mainland and 258 from Spain. It is evident from these figures that much remains to be discovered about the muscid fauna of the Balkan Peninsula, and areas of mountainous and/or temperate broad-leaf forest should prove to be particularly rich in biodiversity.
M.I. would like to thank Mladen Kerovec and Zlatko Mihaljević for their generous financial support during all these years of field studies.