Lesser Dung Flies (Sphaeroceridae) of the Belgian Fauna: Little Known Nutrient Recyclers
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BULLETIN DE L'lNSTITUT ROY AL DES SCIENCES NATUR ELLES DE BELGIQUE BIOLOGIE, 72 -SUPPL.: 155 -157, 2002 BULLETIN VAN HET KONINKLIJK BELGISCI-IlNSTITUUT VOOR NATUURWETENSCI-IAPPE N BIOLOGIE, 72-SUPPL.: 155 -157, 2002 Lesser dung flies (Sphaeroceridae) of the Belgian fauna: little known nutrient recyclers L DE BRUYN, J. SCHEIRS & H. VAN GOSSUM Introduction Habitat specificity and indicator species The family Sphaeroceridae, or lesser dung flies, consists In recent decades, the conservation of insects has re of very common to rare, small to very small flies (PITKIN ceived increasing attention, not only because they are 1988). They can easily be distinguished from other fa - "worth conserving, but also because some insect groups milies by the distinctly widened and shortened first tar have been shown to be particularly good bio-indicators somere of the hind legs. Most species are darkly coloured which react ve1y quickly to environmental alterations. and possess fully developed wings. In some species wings However, the basic knowledge on habitat specificity, are reduced or can even be absent. The third antenna( necessary to construct such a predictive system, is still segment is usually spherical with a long, sideways or scarce, and in most groups even absent (LOBRY DE BRUYN iented arista. 1997, VAN STRAALEN & VERHOEF 1997). The family Sphaeroceridae is generally saprophagous. Sphaerocerid flies are tightly linked to the soil. This The larvae develop in a wide range of decaying organic can probably be attributed to the feeding habit and the matter such as dung (mainly from mammals), carcasses restricted locomot01y behaviour of the studied species. of animals, refuse heaps, grass cuttings, etc. (PITKIN 1988, Sphaeroceridae run and skip on the soil smface in the PAPP 1992, BUCK 1997, PAPP et a/. 1997). Although they vegetation or in the litter (PITKIN 1988). Many species prefer humid conditions, Sphaeroceridae can be found in only fly infrequently, despite being fully winged. Some practically all kinds of habitats. They are even found in species are even brachypterous. Moreover, the flies are caves, cellars and mine galleries or burrows and nests of strongly bound to sites where the appropriate breeding mammals, birds or insects (HACKMAN 1967, MUNARI substrate (e.g. decaying organic matter) is present (PITKIN 1991 ). Some species are synanthropic and are knowri to 1986, BucK 1997). cause some annoyance of different degrees (FREDEEN & Earlier studies already pointed out that presence of the TAYLOR 1964). members of the family is influenced by factors as tem Identification keys can be found in DUDA ( 1932-1933) perature, humidity and pH (HAFEZ 1939, EGGLISHA W and PITKIN (1988). However, to be able to identify all 1960). A recent shtdy on the habitat specificity of sphae Belgian species, it is necessary to consult additional rocerid flies in a heathland ecosystem (DE BRUYN et a!. papers as there are several recent generic revisions (e.g. 2001) showed that species divei·sity could increase 7-fold ROHAEK & MARSHALL 1982, 1985 & 1988, ROHA CEK & when the soil gets wetter and contains more organic mat PAPP 1988) which are not included in those keys. ter. Also the community composition changed under the World-wide more than 700 sphaerocerid species have influence of the soil parameters. The similarity based on been -described (PITKIN 1988). Some are cosmopolitic. In species presence/absence reduced to 14% within the same the Palearctic region, more than 330 species have been macrohabitat. Another shtdy in a Poplar forest further found until now. For Belgium, the first major contribu showed that also phosphate and nih-ogen play a role in tions on the family were written by VANSC HUYTBRO ECK sh-uchtring the species composition (EN GE LEN 1998). A (1942, 1943). LERUTH ( 1939) treated many forms that live di scriminant analysis further grouped the three traps of in our caves. In 1991 , GosS ERIE S et al. compiled a check each sampling plot close together while the different plots list of the Belgian Sphaeroceridae. Later, more species of the forest, although they grew on the same soil, and were added to the list by YEN & DEBRUYN (1992) and DE consisted of the sam e trees, were clearly separated. The BR UYN et al. (1997). At the moment, 104 species have latter indicates that Sphaeroceridae indeed might be ex been reported for Belgium. cellent indicators for environmental conditions. 11 156 L. DEBRUYN, J. SCHEIRS & H. VAN GOSSUM Both studies further showed that the distribution of Acknowledgements plant and fly species are both affected by soil conditions, but, no con·e]ations were found between plant species We wish to thank S. TH YS, 8. E GELEN and F. YEN for fieldwork assistance. J. SCHEIRS is a postdoctoral researcher of the Flemish Fund richness and the fly diversity indices. The fly fauna is for Scientific Research. not merely a reflection of the vegetation. They clearly react to different aspects of the environment. The latter supports the findings of PRENDERGAST et a/. ( 1993) that References species-rich areas frequently do not generally coincide for different taxa. BucK, M ., 1997. Sphaeroceridae (Diptera) reared from various Our study shows that the investigated fly communities types of carrion and other decaying substrates in Southern clearly respond to microhabitat differences in the soil Germany, including new faunistic data on some rarely collected parameters. Additionally, the lack of a spatial structure species. European Journal of Entomology, 94 (I): 137- 151 . in the species composition, even on the restricted spatial DE BRUYN, L., 1986. The color preference of the Oscine//a frit scale, points to a reduced mobility (high site fidelity) of complex (Diptera, Chloropidae). Mededelingen van de Facul the species. The combination of these factors "makes them teit Landbouwwetenschappen, Rijksuniversiteit Gent, 51 , 3a: promising indicators for soil health and as tool for mo 885-889. nitoring environmental changes. However, more basic DEBRUYN, L., SANTENS, M., SCHEIRS, J. & THYS, S., 1997. The research is needed to elucidate the strength of the rela Sphaeroceridae and Lonchopteridae (Diptera) fauna of a heath tionship between the environmental factors and the fly land ecosystem (the nature reserve " Groot Schietveld"). Bul communities. letin en Annalen van de Koninklijke Belgische Vereniging voor Entomologie, 133 (2): 197-334. DE BRUYN, L., SCHEIRS, J., THYS, S. & VERHAGEN, R., 2001. Effects of vegetation and soil on species diversity of soil dwel- Trapping . · ling Diptera in a heathland ecosystem. Journal of Insect Con servation 5: 87-97. In the past, the knowledge concerning the biology of DEBRUYN, L. , YERLINDEN, L. & YERWAERDE,J. , 1992. Gardens: Sphaeroceridae was largely based on occasional observa an important refuge for insects, or a green desert? In : VAN tions by capturing Sphaeroceridae on or nearby a sub GOETHEM , J.L. & GROOTAERT, P. (eds), Faunal inventories of . p d" 8th strate where one could expect Sphaeroceridae. Some sites for cartography and nature conservation. rocee mgs Int. Coli. EIS, Brussels: 133-142. authors (ROHACEK I 983, PITKfN I 988, FLOREN I 989), however, already noticed that some sphaerocerid species DUDA, 0., 1932-1933. 6 1. Chloropidae. In: LINDNER (ed.), Die could be collected in fair numbers by using traps. How Fliegen der Palaearktischen Region. E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, 6 ( 1): 1-248. ever, no thorough analyses were carried out to compare different trapping methods. EGGLISHAW, H.J., 1960. The life-history of Thoracochaeta zos In the scope of a faunistical and ecological study on the terae (HAL.) (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae). The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 96: 124-128. Belgian Sphaeroceridae fauna (YEN & DE BRUYN 1992), we examined which trapping methods would be the most ENGELEN, B., 1998. Habitatspecificiteit, gemeenschapstructuur en mogelij ke indicatorsoorten bij Sphaeroceridae en Lonchop suitable for collecting sphaerocerid flies. Therefore, in teridae (Diptera). Licentiaatsthesis, Universiteit Antwerpen. terception traps, e.g. a Malaise trap (TOWNES 1972), pit ffNCH, S. & SKINNER, H., 1974. Some factors affecting the fall traps (SouTHWOOD I 978), and attraction traps (co efficiency of water-traps for capturing cabbage root flies. An loured traps: red, green, yellow, blue and white) (FINCH & nals ofAppl ied Biology, 77: 2 13-226. SKfNNER I 974, DE BRUYN I 986) were tested. FLOREN, F., 1989. Distribution: phenology and habitats of the Most species were caught in the Malaise trap. The lesser dung fly species (Diptera, Sphaeroceridae) of Sweden highest number of individuals was found in the red co and Norway, with notes from adjacent countries. Entornologisk loured traps. For species number, all coloured traps gave Tidskrifi, 110: 1-29. approximately the same result. The feeding and breeding FREDEEN, F.J.H. & TAYLOR, M.E., 1964. Borborids (Diptera: sites (dung and animal bunows) of the species caught in Sphaeroceridae) infesting sewage disposal tanks, with notes on the Malaise trap are usually scarce and widely spread in the life cycle, behaviour and control of Leptocera (Leptocera) their habitat. To find the resources, the flies have to caenosa (RONDAN I). The Canadian Entomologist, 96: 801-808. search actively. This indicates that species primarily GossERIES, J. , PITKIN, B.R. & YEN, F., 1991 . Sphaeroceridae. In: caught in Malaise traps are active and mobile species GROOTAERT,P., DE 8RUYN, L. & DE MEYER,M. (eds), Catalogue which move long distances to search for oviposition sites. of the Diptera of Belgiun . Studiedocumenten KBIN, 70: This was also already observed in other insect families 175-177. (DE BRUYN et al. I 992). Although Malaise traps might be HACKMAN, W., 1967. On Diptera in small mammals burrows in very effective for inventarisation work for larger sites, Northern Europe and Southern Spain. Notulae Entomologica, they are too indiscriminate for local indicator research. 47: 1-14. The coloured water traps are more effective for this HAFEZ. M., 1939. The li fe history of Leptocera digitata D UDA purpose as their action range is confined to a few (Diptera: Borboridae).