New records of two-winged flies (Diptera: Brachycera) in social wasp colonies (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Nine new associations between dipterans and social wasp colonies are reported, providing information for understanding the ecological relationships between species in addition to new geographic distributions. The records took place between 2016 and 2018, in urban and secondary forest fragments in the cities of Cataguases, Goianá, Juiz de Fora, Muriaé, and Viçosa, all inserted in the Atlantic Forest biome in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Understanding the ecological relationships between groups of insects provides subsidies for studies of ecology, biology, and behavior of the organisms involved in order to develop conservation strategies not only for the organisms but also for the areas where they occur.