Researchers from the Alexander Koenig Museum of Zoology and the National Institute of Biodiversity (Inabio) record for the first time in Ecuador the presence of the genus of flower flies Aristosyrphus and of the species Aristosyrphus carpenteriwhich was only known in Panama and Costa Rica, which was found in the Pedro Vicente Maldonado canton, northwest of the Pichincha province.
With these data, its geographical distribution is extended by more than 950 kilometers towards the south of Panama.
Flower flies are considered species of great importance for their contribution to crop pollination.but also, because their larvae favor decomposition processes of organic matter and biological control of pests in crops, hence the importance of studying this group, says Inabio.
The researchers, Ximo Mengual, Isabel Kilian and Alex Pazmiño-Palomino, detail that the species Aristosyrphus carpenteri was only known from Costa Rica and Panama.
A cassava starch-based casing is created in Ecuador that degrades in up to 180 days
DNA barcode analyzes support that the specimens found in Ecuador belong to the same species from Central America, so it is believed that the distribution of the species of the genus Aristosyrphus may be greater than the current one.
Of the more than 6,200 species of flower flies in the world, almost a third are described from the neotropical region. This number may represent only half the actual number of species.
According to Inabio, more studies are needed to understand the current distribution of flower flies in Central and South America.
The project “Diversity of flower flies of Ecuador” is carried out in the country, which aims to fill the information gaps on flies (Diptera).
The project intends to study and monitor this group of insects. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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