Occurrence of kleptoparasitic sarcophagid flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae) in natural and human modified sites in Southern South American Andean landscapes

Abstract

Sarcophagid flies belonging to the subfamily Miltogramminae are mainly kleptoparasites of bees and solitary wasps. Twenty-six locations were surveyed to accomplish the first specific exploration on the diversity of Miltogramminae in southern Andean areas of South America. We evaluated changes in abundance, richness and composition among habitat types to establish the effect of anthropization on the Miltogramminae community. Habitat types were considered as human modified (trails and roads, parks and meadows) and natural sites (watercourses and lake beaches, sandy and shrubby areas), distributed in two ecoregions (Valdivian forest and Patagonian steppe). We found differences in the capture rate and composition of Miltogramminae among habitat types. The species Opsidia intonsa Aldrich was highly dominant in samples, with higher proportional abundance in human modified habitats. Richness of Miltogramminae was higher in natural sites. Comparisons between the ecoregions surveyed indicated the genus Opsidia Coquillett did not show differences in abundance between ecoregions, whereas Senotainia Macquart was more abundant in the Patagonian steppe. The results provide evidence on the significant effects of human influence on landscapes in kleptoparasitic fly diversity. Slight modifications of natural areas (as proliferation of trails or isolated houses) should be addressed to evaluate the conservation of kleptoparasitic Diptera.