Atherigona (Acritochaeta) orientalis Schiner, 1868

Atherigona orientalis Schiner, 1868: 295 .

Coenosia excisa Thomson, 1869: 560 . Ross Island.

Atherigona trilineata Stein, 1900: 157 . New Guinea.

Acritochaeta pulvinata Grimshaw, 1901: 42 . Hawaii.

Atherigona magnipalpis Stein, 1906: 66 . Cameroon.

Described from the Nicobar Islands (Schiner 1868: 295) and widespread throughout the tropics of the World, this is the only species of its subgenus to have become established in the Americas. This species has a very varied larval biology, the larvae being predaceous but also probably ingesting the decaying organic matter in which they develop. In the case of the recent record of this species being reared from turtle eggs in Cyprus (McGowan et al. 2001) the larvae of other Diptera present might be the primary source of nutrition.

The mislaid types of Atherigona magnipalpis Stein, 1906: 66, which is listed as a junior synonym of orientalis, are in the box of material discovered in the Smithsonian Institution and have been returned to MNB. These, a male and a female, are in very good condition, micropinned on card mounts on ‘continental’ pins and bear the following labels:

Male

1) grey rectangular “N. Kamerun, Johann-Alberechtshöhe, L. Conradt S6, 17.6.96” machine-printed with date added.

2) red rectangular “ Type ” machine-printed.

3) grey rectangular “ Atherigona magnipalpis sp. n. ♂ ♀ Stein” in Stein’s handwriting.

4) white rectangular “ Atherigona excisa Thom. Det. J.R. Malloch ” in Malloch’s hand.

Female

1) white rectangular “17/6.96” in red ink.

2) as 1 above for male, but without date.

3) as 2 above for male.

Distribution

Cyprus, pan-tropical, southern Nearctic.