South African nose flies (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Rhiniinae): taxonomy, diversity, distribution and biology

Abstract

Rhiniinae (Diptera, Calliphoridae) is a taxon of nearly 400 known species, many of them termitophilous. Approximatelly 160 valid species in 16 genera are Afrotropical, with over 60 of them occurring in South Africa. The taxonomy of this group is outdated, as most studies of the South African taxa were conducted 40 to 70 years ago (mostly by Salvador Peris and Fritz Zumpt). Published information on their biology and ecology is also scarce.An annotated checklist of 73 species of Rhiniinae for South Africa was developed, based on the holdings of sixteen entomological collections in Africa, Europe and North America. Over 3,700 specimens were examined, revealing nine new species records for South Africa (Cosmina undulataMalloch, 1926,Isomyia cuthbertsoni(Curran, 1938),Rhyncomya botswanaZumpt, 1974,R. tristisSéguy, 1933,Stomorhina aptaCurran, 1931,S. malobana(Lehrer, 2007),Thoracites kirkspriggsiKurahashi, 2001,Th. sarcophagoidesKurahashi, 2001 andTrichoberia lanata(Villeneuve, 1920)). We propose one new combinationEurhyncomyia metzi(Zumpt, 1981)comb. nov.(=Rhyncomya metziZumpt, 1981)). Additionally, evidence is presented to removeRhyncomya viduellaVilleneuve, 1927stat. rev.from synonymy withRhyncomya cassotis(Walker, 1849). Relevant novel biological and seasonality information, historical occurrence maps and high-definition photographs for each species are compiled.