Microdontinae
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| Microdontinae | ||||||||||||||
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and others; about 350+ included species |
The subfamily Microdontinae contains slightly more than 350 species of hoverflies (family Syrphidae) and, while diverse, these species share several characteristics by which they differ from other syrphids. The Microdontinae are myrmecophiles, meaning they live in the nests of ants. Larval Microdontinae are scavengers or predators in ant nests (Duffield 1981) and, in contrast to other syriphid larvae, have no readily apparent body segmentation. Some species also do not exhibit the typical adult flower visiting behaviour of other hoverflies but instead remain near their larval host colonies (some of these species have no functional mouthparts and cannot feed as adults).
For other distinguishing characteristics, see Thompson.
[edit] References
- Duffield, R.M. 1981. Biology of Microdon fuscipennis (Diptera: Syrphidae) with interpretation of reproductive strategies of Microdon species found north of Mexico. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 83: 716-724.
- Thompson, F.C. 1969. A new genus of Microdontine flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) with notes on the placement of the subfamily. Psyche 76:74-86.
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