Stomorhina lunata (Fabricius, 1805)

Thomas-Cabianca, Arianna, Villet, Martin H., Martinez-Sanchez, Anabel & Rojo, Santos, 2023, South African nose flies (Diptera, Calliphoridae, Rhiniinae): taxonomy, diversity, distribution and biology, Biodiversity Data Journal 11, pp. 72764-72764 : 72764

Stomorhina lunata (Fabricius, 1805)

= Musca lunata Fabricius, 1805: 292. Type locality: Portugal, Madeira Island. Remarks: type series specimen in ZMUC.

= Idia rostrata Wiedemann, 1820: 22. Type locality: South Africa, Cape of Good Hope - Promontorio bonae spei [Western Cape]. Remarks: type series specimen in ZMUC.

= Idia fasciata Meigen, 1826: 9. Type locality: France, Marseilles.

= Idia syrphoidea Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 421. Type locality: Mauritius.

= Idia cinerea Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830: 422. Type locality: Isles de la mer d'Africa [Indian Ocean d'Africa].

= Stomorhyna maculata Rondani, 1865: 228. Type locality: Italy, Parma.

= Stomorhina melanorhina Bigot, 1888: 592. Type locality: South Africa, Cape of Good Hope [Western Cape].

= Stomorhina muscoidea Brauer, 1899: 516. Type locality: Madagascar.

= Stomorhina selgae Lehrer, 1979: 89. Type locality: Bermuda.

Distribution

Afrotropical: Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauricio Island (Mauritius), Oman, Namibia, Réunion Island (France), Rodriguez Island (Mauritius), South Africa (Fig. 21 ), Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nearctic: Bermuda. Oriental: China, India, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Taiwan. Palaearctic: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Morocco, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal (including Azores Islands), Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain (including Canary Islands), Sweden, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Notes

Preferred environment: montane grass and woodlands, montane meadows, grasslands, rocky hillside, indigenous montane forest and forest margins, slopes, ravines, streams and cascade areas. Different kind of biomes such as: Macchia vegetation and old lands, mesic mountain Fynbos, false Macchia slopes and coastal Macchia. Associated with human environments such as houses, a university campus, caravan parks and main tracks through forest. Recorded in low numbers in Namibia, where it is virtually restricted to the Brandberg Massif and occurs at high elevations on the edge of Nama-Karoo ( Kurahashi and Kirk-Spriggs 2006). In Mauritius, it was collected in a montane forest. Recorded elevations: 10-2080 m a.s.l. Seasonality: this is the most common, abundant and well-known species of Rhiniinae , present year-round. Highest abundance in September and January to February; lowest between May and July. Only four specimens recorded in Nambia ( Kurahashi and Kirk-Spriggs 2006). Behaviour and ecology: collected on/and visiting flowers of Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Gymnosporia heterophylla (Eckl. and Zeyh.) Loes., Cassine sp., Buddleja sp. L., Cussonia sp. and Searsia crenata (Thunb.) Moffet. Additionally associated with: Searsia F. A. Barkley sp. (previously local Rhus ), Diospyros L. sp. and Celtis L. sp.. In Mauritius, one specimen was collected on a flowering tree. The species seems to have a close relationship with Orthoptera . Adults lay eggs on oothecas, where the larvae developed ( Bezzi 1911). Larvae are predators of locusts’ oothecas in Zimbabwe ( Cuthbertson 1933, Cuthbertson 1934). Peris (1952a) recorded S. lunata on Nomadacris septemfasciata (Serville) oothecas and that it was obtained from locusts’ eggs ("Ex eggs") in Malawi (then Nyasaland) and Kenya. Additionally reported that larvae destroy oothecas of Locusta migratorioides (Reiche, L.J. and Fairmaire) in Kenya. In the material examined, S. lunata was reported as being attracted to open termite mounds (Pretoria, Gauteng) and found outside the nest of Trinervitermes Holmgren ( Blattaria ) (Johannesburg, Gauteng). Cuthbertson (1935) found larvae of S. lunata in the fungus beds of a termite nest and reared them on dead and dying termite workers and soldiers. Lewis (1955) reported the presence of S. lunata in carrion. Life cycle and developmental stages: Peris (1956) studied some drawings of S. lunata male terminalia made by S. Patrizi accompanied by biological notes from observations in Kenya. Patrizi indicated in his notes that females of S. lunata were observed throwing masses of eggs over? Anomma Shuckard ants ( Formicidae ). Some eggs were collected and stuck strongly to the glass walls of the container. Later, the eggs were placed in an ant farm, larvae emerged after a few hours and entered into the interior of Anomma larvae completely eating them (predation). Finally, larvae migrated to the soil for pupation. Patrizi suggests that the sticky eggs are a mechanism for entering ants’ nests ( Peris 1956). Cuthbertson (1934) studied the life history of S. lunata . Eggs (length: 1-1.25 mm) were deposited around soft soil close to a red locust ootheca, hatching in few minutes. First instar larvae were active (length: 1.5-1.75 mm) and quickly attacked the ootheca. In 3-4 days, larvae were fully fed (length: 2-14 mm), left the ootheca and migrated to soil to pupate (length pupae: 7.5-8 mm) for one-two days. Adults emerged in 7-10 days, but in cold weather, sometimes the pupal stage can last 14-15 days or longer. Adults' copulation occurred 4-5 days after they emerged and eggs started to be laid 1-2 days after copulation. Adults were fed with sugar solution, flower nectar and liquids from fresh cow-dung. Larvae stages fed on the yellow yolk of freshly-laid locust ootheca. Hall (1947) described eggs, 1st, 2nd and 3rd instar larvae and puparia from Cuthbertson's material and indicated that the life cycle seems to last 30 days in optimal conditions, where egg incubation was 18-24 hours, 1st instar was 14-24 hours, 2nd instar was 36-48 hours, 3rd instar was 2-3 days and pupation lasted 10-16 days in summer conditions. Greathead (1963) illustrated the 3rd instar larva (anal area, posterior spiracles and mouth parts) from a specimen collected in a locust's ootheca. Hall (1947) described the posterior spiracle, mouthparts and anal area of the 3rd instar larva as well and mouth parts of the 2nd instar larva. Immature stages are also illustrated in Cuthbertson (1935). Collection methods: sweeping with hand net and Malaise, yellow pan, black light and pitfall traps. Malaise and yellow pan traps in Namibia and hand net in Mauritius ( Kurahashi and Kirk-Spriggs 2006). Illustrations and photographs: female habitus as in Fig. 22 , fig. 10 in Greathead (1963) and fig. 3H in Prado e Castro et al. 2016. Male habitus as in fig. 1 in Lutovinovas and Kinduris (2018). Male terminalia as in fig. 32 (inaccurate) in Zumpt (1958), slide 3 in González-Mora and Peris (1988) and figs. 675-683 in Rognes (1991). Female terminalia as in figs. 684-685 in Rognes (1991).

Type material examined: I. rostrata : 1? / Mus. / Westerm. // Type // I. rostrata / Weid. / Cape of Good Hope / Jan: 1817 // [ZMUC 00025098]. M. lunata : 1? // [ZMUC 00027332].

Material examined: Suppl. materials 1, 2.

Figures

Figure 21. Stomorhina lunata occurrence map in South Africa, including eSwatini (eSw) and Lesotho (Le); horizontal axis longitude east and vertical axis latitude south.

Figure 22. Habitus, left lateral view of Stomorhina lunata female AMGS 100730 from South Africa; scale bar = 2 mm.