Brontaea tonitrui ( Wiedemann, 1824 )

Dawah, Hassan A., Abdullah, Mohammed A. & Deeming, John C., 2020, The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species, Zootaxa 4869 (1), pp. 1-54 : 17

Brontaea tonitrui ( Wiedemann, 1824) ( Fig. 18 )

Anthomyia tonitrui Wiedemann, 1824: 52 . Later transferred into Gymnodia Robineau-Desvoidy , now synonymised with Brontaea Kowarz.

Specimens examined. 1m, Asir, Abha, Hay Al-Nusub (Abha farm centre), 20.iv.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) ; 2m, Asir, Abha, Madenate Al-Ameer Sultan, Hay Alsad , 25.ii.–25.v.2002, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( NMWC) ; 1f, Najran, Al-Shurfa, Saleh Maqbol Farm , 1–29.iv.2013, Malaise trap, H.A. Dawah ( CERS) .

Distribution. This species was previously recorded from Saudi Arabia by Pont (1991). Pont (1991) believes that Anthomyia tempestatum Wiedemann , which was recorded by Al-Houty (1989) from Kuwait, is in fact B. tonitrui . In the Middle East it was recorded from Kuwait and Oman ( Pont 1991).

Biological remarks. The larvae of Brontaea live in mammal dung and sometimes in bird droppings. They hatch in the second instar and are obligate carnivores. Adults of B. tonitrui are attracted by faeces and carrion ( Gregor et al. 2002) and they have been reared from human faeces ( Skidmore 1985) and also cow dung ( Pont 1991).

Figures

FIGURE. 18–22. Muscidae species habitus: 18) Brontaea tonitrui (Wiedemann, 1824), Female; 19) Helina clara (Meigen, 1826), Female; 20) Helina coniformis (Stein In Becker, 1903), Male.; 21) Helina lucida (Stein, 1913), Male; 22) Helina ponti sp. nov. Male.