Abstract
Non-aquatic reproductive modes have evolved among frogs possibly favored by some advantages such as the avoidance of aquatic predators. These reproductive modes, however, make the egg clutches susceptible to terrestrial predators, among which Diptera larvae are some of the most harmful. The present work reports the predation by phorid flies of 22 egg clutches of Phyllomedusa iheringii Boulenger in the South of Brazil. Phorid specimens were identified as Megaselia bruchiana (Borgmeier & Schmitz) and Megaselia necrophaga (Enderlein), species that were reported previously to be associated with ants and dead beetles, respectively. Frog-feeding in these species is hypothesized to be use of an alternative seasonal food source. We amend the diagnoses of both Megaselia species and provide new illustrations to facilitate their identification. We also describe the male of M. bruchiana for the first time and associate males with females of both species.
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Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Maria Isabel P. Balbi for her kind help with slides preparation and identification of the Sarcophagidae immatures. DCA research was funded by FAPESP (proc. 2011/03563-0). TGS is grateful to CNPq for the research fellowship (proc. 307352/2013-7).
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Edited by José A Martins Fernandes – UFPA
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Ament, D.C., dos Santos, T.G. Taxonomy and First Records of Two Megaselia Rondani Species (Diptera: Phoridae) Preying upon Eggs of Phyllomedusa iheringii Boulenger (Anura: Phyllomedusidae). Neotrop Entomol 46, 289–294 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0462-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-016-0462-2