Honey bee colonies are subject to numerous pathogens and parasites. Interaction among multiple pathogens and parasites is the proposed cause for Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), a syndrome characterized by worker bees abandoning their hive. Here we provide the first documentation that the phorid fly Apocephalus borealis, previously known to parasitize bumble bees, also infects and eventually kil...

The red imported Ž re ant is becoming a global ecological problem, having invaded the United States, Puerto Rico, New Zealand and, most recently, Australia. In its established areas, this pest is devastating natural biodiversity. Early attempts to halt Ž re ant expansion with pesticides actually enhanced its spread. Phorid  y parasitoids from South America have now been introduced into the Uni...

The myrmecophile larva of the dipteran taxon Nothomicrodon Wheeler is rediscovered, almost a century after its original description and unique report. The systematic position of this dipteran has remained enigmatic due to the absence of reared imagos to confirm indentity. We also failed to rear imagos, but we scrutinized entire nests of the Brazilian arboreal dolichoderine ant Azteca chartifex ...

Infestation of animal tissues by dipteran larvae (myiasis) commonly occurs in many species, but it is unusual for humans in temperate regions. Nevertheless, human myiasis is regularly observed in many primary care facilities in the United States. Beyond medical issues associated with treating human myiasis, both the causal agent and the longevity of myiasis can have legal implications, for exam...

Parasitoid phorid Xies in the genus Pseudacteon are potential biocontrol agents of invasive Solenopsis Wre ants in the US. One Pseudacteon species, P. tricuspis Borgmeier, has been released and is now established over a large region of north central Florida. We conducted a multi-year, large-scale Weld experiment to investigate potential population-level impacts on host Solenopsis invicta Buren ...

The genus Dohrniphora is a hyperdiverse group of phorid flies, a family whose species are commonly characterized as generalized scavengers. The lifestyle of most species of Dohrniphora is unknown, although one cosmopolitan, synanthropic species, D.cornuta (Bigot) fits the general scavenger mold. Here we show that flies of the D.longirostrata species group exhibit highly specific "headhunting" b...

Diptera are among the most serious arthropod pests affecting mushroom crops. Phorid flies, especially Megaselia halterata, have traditionally been globally considered as a minor pest, although they very important problem on Spanish farms. The concerns with respect to phorid fly populations recently increased, notably jumping from being major pest in India, UK and USA, where yield losses ranging...

A mysterious female phorid fly, known for many years to be associated with fungal sporophores ("mushrooms") is identified as Megaselia marquezi Hartop et al. 2015. Male and female flies were collected emerging from the fungus Psathyrella candolleana (Fr.) Maire, and females were observed swarming over the sporophores.

BACKGROUND The genus Melaloncha is a large group of species of parasitoid phorid flies that attack Hymenoptera, mostly stingless bees (Meliponinae, Apidae) in the Neotropical Region. NEW INFORMATION Two new Brazilian species, Melaloncha (Melaloncha) peacockorum sp. n. and Melaloncha (Udamochiras) nielsi sp. n., are described and their identification clarified.