Austral Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Both Native and Introduced Non-Crop Flowering Plants Around Orchards Support Potential Crop Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects","authors":"Yolanda Hanusch,&nbsp;Ros Gloag,&nbsp;Tanya Latty","doi":"10.1111/aen.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Non-crop floral resources in agricultural areas play an important role in supporting crop pollinating taxa and increasing biodiversity. We studied flower-insect interactions to two spring flowering crops and accompanying non-crop flowering resources (introduced/native) in apple and blueberry orchards in southern Tasmania, Australia, to (i) identify the important crop pollinating taxa in this region and (ii) examine if crop and non-crop introduced and native flowering plants within orchards supported different community assemblages of flower-feeding insects. We found a high overall contribution to crop visitation by introduced honeybees (<i>Apis mellifera</i>), which dominated visitation to apple (91% of total visits) and blueberry (76% total visits). A second introduced bee, the earth bumblebee (<i>Bombus terrestris</i>), made up 19% of total visits to blueberry, yet rarely visited flowering apple. Reed bees (<i>Exoneura</i>) were the most frequent native bee visitor to both apple 2.5% and blueberry 4%. Non-crop flowering plants around orchards showed significantly different community assemblages of flower-feeding insects in comparison to flowering crops. These differences were shaped by high association of insects with certain vegetation types, including <i>A. mellifera</i> with flowering apple, <i>B. terrestris</i> with flowering blueberries, native reed bees (<i>Exoneura</i>) with flowering apple and native flowers, soil nesting halictid bees (<i>Lasioglossum</i>) with introduced and native flowers and hoverflies with flowering apple and introduced forbs.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143865722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of spinosad and spinetoram against the citrus gall wasp, Bruchophagus fellis (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), and their impacts on beneficial arthropods in citrus","authors":"Lisa S. Kirkland,&nbsp;Meena Thakur,&nbsp;Jianhua Mo","doi":"10.1111/aen.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The citrus gall wasp, <i>Bruchophagus fellis</i>, is a significant pest in Australian citrus production. It particularly affects Valencia citrus growers, as the available chemical control options are considered unsuitable due to persistence of residues and associated long withholding periods, or too costly. We investigated the effectiveness of two spinosyn-based foliar products, spinosad and spinetoram, for controlling <i>B. fellis</i> and their impact on beneficial arthropods in citrus orchards. Both chemicals demonstrated efficacy, with over 98% mortality in <i>B. fellis</i> adults within 24 h of direct application in laboratory tests. Residual toxicity assessments showed prolonged efficacy, with spinetoram remaining toxic to <i>B. fellis</i> for up to 21 days and spinosad for up to 14 days post-spray. Spinetoram appears more toxic to <i>B. fellis</i> than spinosad. A field trial confirmed efficacy of both active ingredients in reducing <i>B. fellis</i> infestations, particularly with well-timed applications before peak adult <i>B. fellis</i> emergence. A double-spray application of spinetoram (1 week apart) showed the most effective control, with 66% reduction in gall weights and 84% reduction in the proportion of large galls compared to the untreated control. Four important beneficial arthropods [<i>Aphytis lingnanensis</i> (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), <i>Cryptolaemus montrouzieri</i> (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), <i>Mallada signatus</i> (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) and <i>Neoseiulus californicus</i> (Acari: Phytoseiidae)] of Australian citrus orchards were selected for the toxicity studies. Spinosad and spinetoram appeared relatively safe to <i>C. montrouzieri</i> and <i>M. signatus</i> but were highly toxic to <i>A. lingnanensis</i> and <i>N. californicus</i>. Based on these findings, spinetoram could be a good foliar application option for Valencia growers to target adult <i>B. fellis</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143861695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Review of larval food plant associations of the Agaristinae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Australia","authors":"Michael F. Braby","doi":"10.1111/aen.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Australian Agaristinae comprises a small group of predominantly diurnal moths with aposematic larvae and adults that are assumed to be unpalatable to most predators. A critical review of the larval food plants of this subfamily based on published records in the literature, together with unpublished records, is presented. Of the 120 moth–plant species-level records, associations are documented for two-thirds of all species (34 out of 53, or 64%) and almost all genera (19 out of 21, or 90%) of Agaristinae. At the generic level, the overwhelming pattern is a high level of monophagy (12 genera on 1 plant family), followed by oligophagy (4 genera on 2 families); only three genera (<i>Apina</i>, <i>Phalaenoides</i>, <i>Cruria</i>) are polyphagous (&gt;3 plant families). Despite high levels of specialisation, Australian Agaristinae, overall, feed on a set of 19 families of angiosperms in 16 orders and eight higher informal groups, most of which are not closely related. Lack of a well-resolved global phylogeny of Agaristinae precludes analyses of deep evolutionary patterns of host usage, but Vitaceae (Vitales) are the most widely exploited family (used by 12 moth species in 10 genera), followed by Dilleniaceae (Dilleniales) (used by 11 moth species in six genera). Available data indicate no evidence of phylogenetic conservatism in the Australian Agaristinae; rather, there appears to be a pattern of frequent host shifts and repeated colonisations to distantly related plants. The role of secondary plant compounds (e.g. sequestration of alkaloids and other metabolites) in chemical defence of Agaristinae requires further study, especially in the Vitaceae and Dilleniaceae.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143856804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Species delimitation and molecular dating of southern African Tetramesa (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae): An understudied microhymenopteran group","authors":"Clarke J. M. van Steenderen,&nbsp;Guy F. Sutton,&nbsp;Liam D. Yell,&nbsp;Kim Canavan,&nbsp;Iain D. Paterson","doi":"10.1111/aen.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The genus <i>Tetramesa</i> Walker (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae) comprises over 200 species of herbivorous wasps that feed exclusively on grasses. Recent field surveys in South Africa for grass biological control programs have uncovered a large diversity of potential <i>Tetramesa</i> on African grasses. Here, mitochondrial (cytochrome <i>c</i> oxidase I [COI]) and nuclear (28S) genetic sequences were used to compare the outputs of seven popular species delimitation methods and to guide the generation of consensus species boundaries for putative <i>Tetramesa</i> taxa and close relatives. Additionally, the nuclear region was used to run a dated analysis that applied a molecular clock rate. Consensus species delimitation results found 35 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) in the COI data and 21 MOTUs in the 28S data. Of the 35 COI MOTUs, there were 17 putative <i>Tetramesa</i> taxa (16 novel southern African taxa and 1 described Northern Hemisphere species, <i>Tetramesa romana</i>), 13 of which showed evidence of specialisation to a single host plant. Comparatively, of the twenty-one 28S MOTUs, there were 5 putative <i>Tetramesa</i> taxa (4 novel southern African taxa and 1 <i>T. romana</i>), all of which showed evidence of host specificity. The dated analysis suggested that the genus <i>Tetramesa</i> originated ~67.1 mya. There was evidence of rapid diversification in the Southern Hemisphere clades between 5 and 15 mya, which coincides with grassland expansions and climatic fluctuations in Africa at the time that may have driven host specialisation. The present results provide valuable insights into the diversity and broader scale evolutionary patterns in this Southern Hemisphere microhymenopteran group.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143849311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) habitats: The role of rock gravel in bare soil landscapes","authors":"Freya M. Jackson,&nbsp;Kit S. Prendergast,&nbsp;Giles Hardy,&nbsp;Wei Xu","doi":"10.1111/aen.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Native bee populations are generally in decline, and although their conservation needs are recognised, habitat requirements for the majority of species remain unknown. Many bee species construct nests underground, including the native Australian bee <i>Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum</i>. However, like most ground-nesting bees, their nesting ecology, particularly their substrate preferences and soil surface requirements, remains poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study examined whether <i>L. dotatum</i> prefers nesting in bare sand or amid rock gravel and whether soil treatment influences nest-site selection. Experiments were conducted using 24-L pots of Bassendean sand, placed near active <i>L. dotatum</i> nesting aggregations. Ten pots had a layer of rock gravel, while the remaining 10 were left bare. Within each treatment, half of the pots contained untreated sand, and half contained steam-treated sand to remove potential contaminants. This design tested whether <i>L. dotatum</i> prefers certain soil conditions and surface features when selecting nest sites. Results showed that female <i>L. dotatum</i> preferentially nest in pots with rock gravel over those with bare sand, suggesting that rock cover may create a more favourable environment by moderating temperature, retaining moisture, or providing structural stability for nest entrances. Additionally, females preferred steam-treated sand over untreated sand, possibly indicating that factors associated with untreated soil, such as microbial presence or organic residues, may deter nesting. This study advances our understanding of <i>L. dotatum</i> nesting behaviour and provides a framework for creating pollinator-friendly spaces by identifying key soil and surface features that influence nest-site selection. However, the mechanisms driving their preference for steam-treated sand remain unknown, highlighting the need for further research to distinguish the roles of hygiene, soil properties and potential chemical cues in nest-site selection.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching entomology online: Challenges, benefits and examples of effective hands-on activities","authors":"Gregory I. Holwell,&nbsp;Angela Mech,&nbsp;Harald Parzer,&nbsp;Anna F. Probert","doi":"10.1111/aen.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Traditionally, teaching entomology to undergraduate students has relied upon conventional laboratory-style practical classes—where students are taught how to collect, identify and curate specimens, as well as understand the form and function of key insect groups using unsophisticated but specialised equipment. Entomology educators had to promptly adapt their methods of teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the online delivery of courses that often largely relied on face-to-face teaching. This imposed limitations on what could be effectively taught outside of a lab setting, although in many cases these were mitigated through online technology that introduced opportunities to support entomology students. Here, we assess the learning objectives of a range of current entomology courses taught namely in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, the United States and Europe. We found that practical hands-on skills, such as identification and curation, and understanding of insect morphology and diversity, often taught via lab activities, are common across many courses. Given the perceived tension between current moves to online educational delivery and these common practical learning objectives in entomology, we present a series of four activities that can be taught via online or distance approaches. These exercises can be used to effectively teach key concepts and skills such as identification, form and function and ecological research skills related to insects. We also discuss some challenges and benefits associated with the online delivery of entomology courses, emphasising a number of equity and accessibility benefits that online approaches might deliver.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143818696","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first wasp-deceiving Calyptratae fly: Brevialata deceptrix Dios & Gudin, gen. et sp. nov. (Diptera: Tachinidae), a new parasitoid of Agelaia vicina (de Saussure, 1854) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) and the first record of reduced wings in the family","authors":"Rodrigo de Vilhena Perez Dios,&nbsp;Filipe Macedo Gudin,&nbsp;Carlos José Einicker Lamas","doi":"10.1111/aen.12730","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12730","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Flies of the family Tachinidae are parasitoids of a wide range of arthropods, and some tachinid lineages specialised and coevolved with distinct hosts. A few of these tachinids use social Hymenoptera as hosts. However, they are usually attacked by their hosts and present different strategies to avoid their aggressiveness. Here, we describe the first parasitoid fly that enters a wasp nest without being attacked, <i>Brevialata deceptrix</i> Dios &amp; Gudin, <b>gen.</b> <b>et sp. nov.</b>, reared from nests of <i>Agelaia vicina</i> (de Saussure, 1854) in Cajuru, São Paulo, Brazil. Additionally, it is the first tachinid fly with reduced wings, presenting a peculiar morphology, with reduced chaetotaxy, stout legs, and tarsi with digitiform extensions. Males of <i>B. deceptrix</i> Dios &amp; Gudin, <b>gen. et sp. nov.</b> are fully described and illustrated, including detailed images of tarsal structures. We present a discussion on <i>B. deceptrix</i> Dios &amp; Gudin, <b>gen. et sp. nov.</b> remarkable morphology, systematic positioning and curious life habits.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143749617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Catching ‘the bug’: Investigating insects through school-based citizen science increases intentions for environmental activities in students and teachers","authors":"Andy G. Howe,&nbsp;Trang Thi Thu Nguyen,&nbsp;Patrick O'Connor,&nbsp;Alice Woodward,&nbsp;Sylvia Clarke,&nbsp;Nathan Ducker,&nbsp;Kate Dilger,&nbsp;Erinn P. Fagan-Jeffries","doi":"10.1111/aen.70004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70004","url":null,"abstract":"<p>School-based citizen science projects facilitate authentic scientific interactions between research and educational institutions while exposing students to scientific processes. Evidence is accruing that citizen science participation and activities can have positive impacts on students' environmental awareness and intentions for pro-environmental behaviour changes. In addition, teachers benefit by expanding their knowledge and acquiring new skills, although the influence of participation on teaching practice requires investigation. Incorporating insects into school-based citizen science projects can challenge widespread human misconceptions about insects and their roles in ecosystems, and foster human–insect connections. Given global concerns of rapid insect declines and the overarching biodiversity crisis, insect focussed school-based citizen science projects can ultimately contribute towards equipping students with knowledge of, and actions to promote, insect conservation. In Australia, approximately 33% of insects are formally described, the remainder exist as ‘dark taxa’ to the detriment of environmental and biodiversity management initiatives. The citizen science project Insect Investigators documented insect biodiversity using Malaise traps operated by 50 regional schools across three Australian states. The project's aims were to increase the number of DNA barcodes of Australian arthropods on public databases while inspiring and educating students about entomology and their local biodiversity. Here we describe outcomes of the project based on student (<i>n</i> = 118) and teacher (<i>n</i> = 22) surveys. We explored whether participation in the project influenced (1) students' intention to engage more in 10 pro-environmental (insect–science–nature) activities and (2) teachers' inclusion of environment-related topics in their teaching practice. We also explored participants' attitudes to insects, conservation, and engagement and motivation for citizen science. We found that students' values for the insect–science–nature activities were positively associated with their intentions to engage more in pro-environmental behaviour after participating in the project. As a result of their involvement, students expressed intentions to further engage in insect–science–nature activities, including activities such as ‘acting to-’ and ‘encouraging others to protect nature’. In addition, teachers reported increased intentions to include insect-related topics in their teaching, which was positively associated with students' own intentions for pro-environmental behaviour change—suggesting ‘positive feedback’ between students' engagement and teachers' intentions. Finally, teacher surveys revealed unexpected benefits of collaboration for regional/remote schools including excitement and involvement of the broader school-community, regional recognition and the sense of contributing to something ‘bigger’.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70004","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143639172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards assimilation of the Australasian fauna into the modern classification of Noctuidae: a review of Australia's largest noctuid genus, Proteuxoa Hampson, 1903 (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and reinstatement of two genera","authors":"Bobbie Hitchcock,&nbsp;Andrew Mitchell,&nbsp;Lionel Hill","doi":"10.1111/aen.12721","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12721","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Proteuxoa</i> Hampson, 1903, became the largest Australian Noctuidae genus in 1996, when E.D. Edwards referred 77 species to it for the <i>Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia</i>. However, the Noctuidae subfamily classifications in the <i>Checklist</i> are acknowledged to be problematic, and because the Australian fauna has received little scientific attention since it was published, the taxonomy of many species is yet to be clarified. As a step towards the assimilation of Australasian fauna into the modern classification of Noctuidae, the largest known Australian genus is here reviewed using a combination of morphological characters, COI data from 409 specimens representing 58 species of <i>Proteuxoa</i> Hampson, 1903 (<i>sensu</i> Edwards) and the outgroup <i>Athetis tenuis</i> (Butler, 1886) and data from five additional genes (CPS-CAD, EF-1a, GAPDH, RpS5, Wgl) representing 26 species of <i>Proteuxoa</i> (<i>sensu</i> Edwards) and <i>A. tenuis</i>. <i>Peripyra</i> Hampson, 1908 <b>reinst. stat.</b>, and <i>Androdes</i> Turner, 1920 <b>reinst. stat.</b>, are removed from synonymy with <i>Proteuxoa</i> and re-established as valid genera, each with two described species, based on phylogenetic analyses of those DNA-based data, as well as the morphological evidence. Adult morphological characters are described for distinguishing <i>Proteuxoa</i> <i>sensu stricto</i> from its closest known relatives in Australasia, that is, <i>Peripyra</i>, <i>Androdes</i> and <i>Thoracolopha</i> Turner, 1939, all of which are morphologically consistent with adult Noctuinae <i>sensu lato</i> from other parts of the world. To assist future studies of world Noctuidae, reference COI sequences are now available in BOLD for 55 described species, and data from three to five additional gene regions are available for a subset of 27 species via GenBank.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143602573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carrion-breeding flies of Australia and New Zealand: A review and key to adults","authors":"Nikolas P. Johnston,&nbsp;Nathan J. Butterworth,&nbsp;Kelly A. Meiklejohn,&nbsp;Andrzej Grzywacz,&nbsp;Thomas Pape,&nbsp;Krzysztof Szpila,&nbsp;James F. Wallman","doi":"10.1111/aen.12732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.12732","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Carrion-breeding flies are diverse with over 70 species in the Australasian/Oceanian region, predominantly from the families Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae. These flies play crucial roles in ecosystems as primary decomposers, pollinators and food sources for a variety of predators and parasites. Given their unique ecologies and exceptional diversity, they have also proven to be particularly useful for human purposes in agriculture, in medicinal maggot therapy and in forensic entomology. Despite this, to date, there have been no comprehensive diagnostic tools developed for carrion-breeding flies in the Australasian region, which has hindered their use by non-experts in these applied fields. Here, we provide an updated key for the identification of the adults of over 70 species of Australian and New Zealand flies known or suspected to breed in carrion. We also provide a review of the current state of knowledge regarding the biology and taxonomy of carrion-breeding flies in the Australasian region—summarising over a century of information regarding their distributions, available molecular data, biology, developmental data and the morphology of immature stages. Together, these resources will greatly improve the application of these species in forensics, agriculture, medicine and empirical research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"64 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.12732","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143594842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}