Fannia albitarsis STEIN, 1911

Hänel, Christine & Pont, Adrian C., 2008, Houseflies of the Tristan da Cunha Islands: new records, including the first for Fannia albitarsis S, 1911 (Diptera: Fanniidae, Muscidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (1), pp. 211-222 : 215-216

Fannia albitarsis STEIN, 1911

New record for the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (see Fig. 3 ).

Widespread in South America ( CARVALHO et al., 2003: 7), and introduced into South Africa ( PONT, 1980a: 719), Amsterdam Island ( PONT, 2006: 318), Australia, New Zealand ( PONT, 1989: 700) and Fiji. Adult flies can be easily recognised using the key and illustrations in PONT & CARVALHO (1994: 231, figs 1-3): particularly characteristic are the ornamentations of the fore tarsomeres and hind femur in males The larvae are saprophages, and have been reared from birds’ nests, poultry and sheep dung, and carcasses of a stingray, fish and a bird ( HOLLOWAY, 1985: 253).

Seven specimens (4 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀), collected on Tristan and Nightingale Islands in 2005 :

TRISTAN DA CUNHA, west of Edinburgh village , potato patches, cultivated cropland, potatoes, vegetation and cattle grazing, ± 127 ft., 37°09'06"S 12°34'26"W, 07-12.ii.2005, site 2, sample 14c, C. HÄNEL, 1 ♀ (pinned) (see Fig. 3 ) .

NIGHTINGALE, West Road , path inland from landing, tussock grassland some Scirpus and alien spp. in path, 37°25'02"S 12°28'66"W, 28-29.iii.2005, site 7, sample 19a, C. HÄNEL, 4 ♂♂, 1 ♀ (alcohol) .

NIGHTINGALE, Herbert’s hut site, East Landing area, tussock grassland and alien veg. along path, 37°25'08"S 12°28'53"W, 29-31.iii.2005, site 3, sample 20a, C. HÄNEL, 1 ♀ (alcohol) .

Figures

Fig. 3: A Lesser Housefly, Fannia albitarsis STEIN, 1911. A lateral view of the female specimen collected from the potato patches on Tristan da Cunha in 2005. Photograph taken by Ch. Hänel.