Microdon

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Brachycera
Infraordo: Muscomorpha
Sectio: Aschiza
Superfamilia: Syrphoidea

Familia:Syrphidae
Subfamilia: Microdontinae
Genus: Microdon
Subgenera (6): M. (Chymophila) – M. (Dimeraspis) – M. (Megodon) – M. (Microdon) – M. (Myiacerapis) – M. (Syrphipogon)

Species: M. colakriki – M. katsurai – M. mutabilis – M. myrmicae – M. sauros – ...
Name

Microdon Meigen, 1803: 275

Type species: Musca mutabilis Linnaeus, 1758 (as "Mulio mutabilis Fabr."), by monotypy.
Synonyms

Aphritis Latreille, 1804: 193. See Cheng & Thompson (2008) for synonymy.
Type species: Aphritis auropupescens Latreille, 1805, by subsequent monotypy.
Scutelligera Spix, 1824: 148. See Cheng & Thompson (2008) for synonymy.
Type species: Scutelligera ammerlandia Spix, 1824, by monotypy.
Parmula Heyden, 1825: 589. See Cheng & Thompson (2008) for synonymy.
Type species: Parmula cocciformis Heyden, 1825, by monotypy.
Colacis Gistel, 1848: x. [unnecessary replacement name for Microdon Meigen, 1803] See Cheng & Thompson (2008) for synonymy.
Scutigerella Haas, 1924: 148. [misspelling of Scutelligera Spix, 1824] See Cheng & Thompson (2008) for synonymy.

References
Primary references

Meigen, J. 1803. Versuch einer neuen Gattungseintheilung der europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekten. Magazin für Insektenkunde 2: 259–281. BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Cheng, X.-Y. & Thompson, F.C. 2008. A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China. Zootaxa 1879: 21–48. Abstract & excerpt PDF. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1879.1.3 Open access. Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pape, T. 2019. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names Part VII: Johann Wilhelm Meigen. Zootaxa 4703(1): 1–193. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4703.1.1 Paywall. Reference page.
Reemer, M. & Bot, S. 2015. Six new species of Microdon Meigen from Madagascar (Diptera: Syrphidae). Zootaxa 4034(1): 127–147. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4034.1.6. Preview (PDF) Reference page.
Reemer, M. & Ståhls, G. 2013. Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae). ZooKeys 288: 1–213. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.288.4095 Open access. Reference page.
Skevington, J., Young, A., Locke, M. & Moran, K. 2019. New Syrphidae (Diptera) of North-eastern North America. Biodiversity Data Journal 7: e36673. DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e36673 Reference page.
Iwai, H., Horikawa, D.D., Arakawa, K., Tomita, M., Komatsu, T. & Maruyama, M. 2016. Rearing and observation of immature stages of the hoverfly Microdon katsurai (Diptera, Syrphidae). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e10185. DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e10185. Reference page.
Townsend, J.I. 1997: An insect survey of Paengaroa Scenic Reserve, Mataroa. Conservation advisory science notes, (152) PDF [see p. 3]

Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants.

There are 249 species known worldwide, with the greatest diversity being from the tropics; 30 species are known from North America, though it is expected that many of these species will be placed in other genera in time, as Microdon has been used as a catch-all for various unrelated species not placed in other genera.[2][3]

Appearance

Microdon adults look more or less like typical flies. Like some other hoverflies, they are generally robust and very hairy, often closely resembling bees. They are between 8 and 15 mm long. The antennae are rather long, with the last (third) segment nearly as long as, or sometimes significantly longer than, the first segment; the antennae are nearly as long as the fly's face. These flies are covered in black or pale (white or golden) hairs, and are themselves either black or metallic green or blue. The scutellum is with apical calcars and wing vein R4+5 with an appendix. They have simple legs and abdomens.[2]

The real oddity of the genus Microdon is in its larvae and pupae. These are dome-shaped and look like stout little slugs. Their appearance originally led scientists to describe them as mollusks and scale insects.[4] They are slow-moving. Most have the spiracles on a peg-like protuberance extending from the end of their abdomens.
Behaviour

Adult Microdon flies do not behave like other syrphid flies; they do not hover around flowers, but instead remain very near the ant colonies which serve as larval hosts.

Larvae may be found very deep in ant colonies. Some species actively feed on ant larvae in the colony,[4] others are speculated to be scavengers . Microdon larvae are more or less restricted in their ant host species. Some Microdon species have only ever been found in the colonies of a single ant species, while others are restricted to related ant species or genera. Because these flies have such cryptic life cycles, biological information on most species is limited.
Species

Microdon is divided into six subgenera (including Microdon s.s.), plus five species groups and some unplaced species in "Microdon s.l.".[1]
Subgenus Chymophila
Main article: Chymophila
Subgenus Dimeraspis
Main article: Dimeraspis
Subgenus Megodon
Main article: Megodon
Subgenus Microdon s.s.

Nearctic:

Microdon abstrusus Thompson, 1981[3]
Microdon albicomatus Novak, 1977
Microdon aurulentus (Fabricius, 1805)
Microdon cothurnatus Bigot, 1883

= Microdon cockerelli Jones, 1922

Microdon lanceolatus Adams, 1903

= Microdon coloradensis Cockerell & Andrews, 1916
= Microdon modestus Knab, 1917
= Microdon senilis Knab, 1917
= Microdon similis Jones, 1917

Microdon manitobensis Curran, 1924
Microdon megalogaster Snow, 1892

= Microdon bombiformis Townsend, 1895

Microdon newcomeri Mann, 1924
Microdon ocellaris Curran, 1924
Microdon piperi Knab, 1917
Microdon ruficrus Williston, 1887

= Microdon basicornis Curran, 1925
= Microdon champlaini Curran, 1925

Microdon tristis Loew, 1864

= Microdon robusta Telford, 1939

Microdon xanthopilis Townsend, 1895

Neotropical:

Microdon aureopilis Marinoni, 2004
Microdon barbouri Hull, 1942
Microdon bassleri Curran, 1940
Microdon bonariensis Lynch Arribalzaga, 1891
Microdon brutus Hull, 1944
Microdon caesar Curran, 1940
Microdon colakriki Reemer, 2014[5]
Microdon crassitarsis (Macquart, 1848)
Microdon eutristis Curran, 1925
Microdon macquartii Lynch Arribalzaga, 1891

= Aphritis angustus Macquart, 1848 (nec Macquart, 1846)
= Microdon angustatus Fluke, 1957 (misspelling)

Microdon mourei Marinoni, 2004
Microdon remus Curran, 1941
Microdon rufiventris (Rondani, 1848)
Microdon violaceus (Macquart, 1842)
Microdon virgo Curran, 1940

Oriental:

Microdon aeneus Keiser, 1952
Microdon alboscutatus Curran, 1931
Microdon bellus Brunetti, 1923
Microdon formosanus Shiraki, 1930
Microdon fulvopubescens Brunetti, 1923
Microdon fumipennis Hull, 1944
Microdon metallicus Meijere, 1904
Microdon sumatranus Wulp, 1892
Microdon sumbanus Keiser, 1952

Palaearctic:

Microdon analis (Macquart, 1842)

= Scutelligera? ammerlandia Spix, 1824
= Microdon brevicornis Egger, 1862 (nec Loew, 1857)
= Microdon eggeri Mik, 1897
= Microdon fuscitarsis Schummel, 1842
= Microdon latifrons Loew, 1856
= Buchanania? reticulata Torrez Minguez, 1924

Microdon auricomus Coquillett, 1898
Microdon dentigiganteus Tian, Huo & Zhang, 2019[6]
Microdon devius (Linnaeus, 1761)

= Microdon anthinus Meigen, 1822
= Stratiomys conica Panzer, 1793
= Microdon micans Wiedemann in Meigen, 1822
= Microdon picticornis Mik, 1897
= Stratiomys pigra Schrank, 1803
= Musca viridescens Villers, 1789

Microdon hauseri Reemer, 2013[1]
Microdon ignotus Violovitsh, 1976
Microdon japonicus Yano, 1915

= Microdon jezoensis Matsumura, 1916

Microdon kidai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
Microdon lateus Violovitsh, 1976
Microdon lehri Mutin, 1999
Microdon macrocerus Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
Microdon major Andries, 1912
Microdon mandarinus Reemer, 2013[1]
Microdon maritimus Violovitsh, 1976
Microdon miki Doczkal & Schmid, 1999
Microdon murayamai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
Microdon mutabilis (Linnaeus, 1758)

= Mulio apiarius Fabricius, 1805
= Musca apiformis De Geer, 1776
= Aphritis auropubescens Latreille, 1805
= Parmula? cocciformis von Heyden, 1825
= Microdon rhenanus Andries, 1912
= Microdon scutellatus Schummel, 1842

Microdon myrmicae Schönrogge, Barr, Wardlaw, Napper, Gardner, Breen, Elmes & Thomas, 2002
Microdon mysa Violovitsh, 1971
Microdon nigripes Shiraki, 1930
Microdon nigrodorsatus Mutin, 2011
Microdon novus (Schrank, 1776)
Microdon oitanus Shiraki, 1930
Microdon podomelainus Huo, Ren & Zheng, 2007
Microdon ursitarsis Stackelberg, 1926
Microdon yokohamai Hironaga & Maruyama, 2004
Microdon yunnanensis Reemer, 2013[1]

Subgenus Myiacerapis
Main article: Myiacerapis
Subgenus Syrphipogon
Main article: Syrphipogon
Microdon s.l. species groups
craigheadii-group

Nearctic:

Microdon craigheadii Walton, 1912

erythros-group

Afrotropical:

Microdon erythros Bezzi, 1908

= Microdon erytherus Bezzi, 1921 (misspelling)

Microdon luteiventris Bezzi, 1915

mirabilis-group

Neotropical:

Microdon bertonii Bezzi, 1910

= Microdon arcuata Curran, 1941

Microdon iheringi Bezzi, 1910
Microdon mirabilis Williston, 1888

tarsalis-group

Afrotropical:

Microdon tarsalis Hervé-Bazin, 1913

= Microdon bequaerti Curran, 1929

Unplaced species

Afrotropical:

Microdon tsara Keiser, 1971

Australian / Oceanian:

Microdon amabilis Ferguson, 1926
Microdon macquariensis Ferguson, 1926
Microdon nigromarginalis Curran & Bryan, 1926
Microdon pictipennis (Macquart, 1850)

= Microdon pictulipennis Hull, 1944

Microdon rieki Paramonov, 1957
Microdon waterhousei Ferguson, 1926

Oriental:

Microdon carbonarius Brunetti, 1923
Microdon pagdeni Curran, 1942
Microdon trimacula Curran, 1928
Microdon unicolor Brunetti, 1915

References

Reemer, Menno; Ståhls, Gunilla (2013). "Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae)". ZooKeys (288): 1–213. doi:10.3897/zookeys.288.4095. PMC 3690914. PMID 23798897.
Cheng, Xin-Yue; Thompson, F. Christian (2008). "A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China" (PDF). Zootaxa. New Zealand: Magnolia Press. 1879: 21–48. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1879.1.3. ISSN 1175-5334. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
Thompson, F.C (1981). "Revisionary notes on Nearctic Microdon flies (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington D.C.: Allen Press. 83: 725–758. ISSN 0013-8797.
Duffield, R.M (1981). "Biology of Microdon fuscipennis (Diptera: Syrphidae) with interpretation of reproductive strategies of Microdon species found north of Mexico". Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. Washington D.C.: Allen Press. 83: 716–724. ISSN 0013-8797.
Reemer, Menno (2014). "A review of Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Surinam, with a key to the Neotropical genera". Tijdschrift voor Entomologie. 157 (1): 27–57. doi:10.1163/22119434-00002035.
Tian, Jing; Huo, Ke-Ke; Zhang, Chun-Tian; Ren, Bing-Zhong (2019). "Microdon dentigiganteum sp. nov. and other Microdontinae species (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Northeast China". Zootaxa. 4712 (1): 65–76. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4712.1.4. PMID 32230696.