Systematics of Ant-Decapitating Flies, Genus Apocephalus (Insecta:Diptera:Phoridae)

9407190棕色 该项目为研究作为蚂蚁寄生虫的Apocephalus属（昆虫纲：双翅目：蚤蝇科）的五个自然种群提供资金。 该属有110种，大多数来自巴西沿海，但更多的物种等待在整个西半球发现和描述。 将利用Malaise陷阱进行大规模的收集工作，并辅以仔细的手工收集，以确定哪些蚂蚁物种是寄生虫的宿主。 这些苍蝇之间的系统发育关系将推断从外部身体结构的特征和蚂蚁宿主选择的模式将根据这些关系进行探索。 %%% 寄生蝇属的研究将包括许多新种的描述和它们的鉴定检索表。 它将提供关于一大群鲜为人知的苍蝇的信息，并有助于我们了解昆虫的生物多样性，特别是南美热带地区。 对这些苍蝇的生物学及其与蚂蚁宿主的相互作用的研究可以产生可用于控制有害蚂蚁物种的信息，例如美国东南部的进口或引进的火蚁。 ***

9407190 BROWN This project provides funding for the study of five natural species groups of flies in the genus Apocephalus (Insecta: Diptera: Phoridae) that are parasites of ants. There are 110 described species in this genus, mostly from coastal Brazil, but many more species await discovery and description from throughout the western hemisphere. Massive collecting efforts utilizing Malaise traps will be conducted, supplemented by careful hand collecting to establish which ant species are the hosts of the parasites. Phylogenetic relationships among these flies will be deduced from characteristics of the external body structure and the pattern of ant host selection will be explored in light of these relationships. %%% The study of this genus of parasitic flies will include description of many new species and keys for their identification. It will provide information on a large group of little-known flies and contribute to our knowledge of insect biodiversity, especially for the South American tropics. Studies of the biology of these flies and their interaction with ant hosts could yield information that might be used to control pest ant species, such as the imported or introduced fire ant in the southeastern United States. ***