List of dipterans of Sri Lanka explained

Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The invertebrate fauna is as large as it is common to other regions of the world. There are about 2 million species of arthropods found in the world, and more are still being discovered to this day. This makes it very complicated and difficult to summarize the exact number of species found within a certain region.

This is a list of the dipterans found from Sri Lanka.

Fly

Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera

Diptera is a large order containing an estimated 1,000,000 species of mosquitoes, horseflies,

Mosquitoes (Culicidae) are vectors for malaria, dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever, encephalitis, and other infectious diseases. Houseflies spread food-borne illnesses. Larger flies such as tsetse fly and screwworm cause significant economic harm to cattle.[1] Well over 3,500 species of mosquitoes were found and described, and new species are about to discover.[2] Sri Lanka is home to 131 species of mosquitoes that included to 16 genera with 17 endemic species.[3] [4] [5]

Blowfly larvae, known as gentles, and other dipteran larvae, known more generally as maggots, are used as fishing bait and as food for carnivorous animals. In medical debridement, wounds are cleaned using maggots.

The exact number of species confined to the country is very difficult to note down, due to few researchers and publications of papers focusing them.[6] Most of the cited references are from way back in 1900s, and very few are from 2010 revisions.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] In 2020, two stalk-eyed flies were described from Pundaluoya and Udawattakele.[15]

There are more than 1,341 dipterans found in the island, which earns fourth largest insect order found.[16]

Family: Acroceridae - Spider flies

Family: Agromyzidae - Leaf-miner flies

Family: Anisopodidae - Wood gnats

Family: Anthomyiidae - Root-maggot flies

Family: Asilidae - Robber flies

Family: Asteiidae - Asteiid flies

Family: Athericidae - Ibis flies

Family: Blephariceridae - Net-winged midges

Family: Bombyliidae - Bee flies

Family: Bibionidae - March flies

Family: Calliphoridae - Blow flies

Family: Canacidae - Surge flies

Family: Cecidomyiidae - Gall midges

Family: Celyphidae - Beetle flies

Family: Ceratopogonidae - Biting midges

Family: Chamaemyiidae - Silver flies

Family: Chaoboridae - Phantom midges

Family: Chironomidae - Nonbiting midges

Family: Chloropidae - Eye flies

Family: Clusiidae - Druid flies

Family: Conopidae - Thick-headed flies

Family: Culicidae - Mosquitoes

See main article: article and List of mosquitoes of Sri Lanka.

Family: Curtonotidae - Quasimodo flies

Family: Diopsidae - Stalk-eyed flies

Family: Dixidae - Meniscus midges

Family: Dolichopodidae - Long-legged flies

Family: Drosophilidae - Fruit flies

Family: Empididae - Balloon flies

Family: Ephydridae - Shore flies

Family: Fanniidae - Little house flies

Family: Hippoboscidae - Louse flies

Family: Hybotidae - Dance flies

Family: Lauxaniidae

Family: Keroplatidae - Fungus gnats

Family: Limoniidae - Limoniid crane flies

Family: Lonchaeidae - Lance flies

Family: Lygistorrhinidae

Family: Micropezidae - Stilt-legged flies

Family: Milichiidae - Freeloader flies

Family: Muscidae - House flies

Family: Mycetophilidae - Fungus gnats

Family: Mydidae - Mydas flies

Family: Nemestrinidae - Tangle-veined flies

Family: Neriidae - Stilt-legged flies

Family: Nycteribiidae - Bat flies

Family: Pachyneuridae

Family: Periscelididae

Family: Phoridae - Scuttle flies

Family: Pipunculidae - Big-headed flies

Family: Platypezidae - Flat-footed flies

Family: Platystomatidae - Signal flies

Family: Psilidae - Rust flies

Family: Psychodidae - Moth flies

Family: Pyrgotidae - Picture-winged flies

Family: Rhagionidae - Snipe flies

Family: Rhinophoridae - Woodlouse flies

Family: Sarcophagidae - Flesh flies

Family: Sciaridae - Dark-winged fungus gnats

Family: Scathophagidae - Dung flies

Family: Scatopsidae - Dung midges

Family: Scenopinidae - Window flies

Family: Sciaridae - Dark-winged fungus gnats

Family: Sciomyzidae - Marsh flies

Family: Sepsidae - Black scavenger flies

Family: Simuliidae - Black flies

Family: Sphaeroceridae - Lesser dung flies

Family: Stratiomyidae - Soldier flies

Family: Streblidae - Streblid bat flies

Family: Syrphidae - Hoverflies

Family: Tabanidae - Horseflies

Family: Tachinidae - Tachina flies

Family: Tephritidae - Fruit flies

Family: Therevidae - Stiletto flies

Family: Tipulidae - Crane flies

Family: Ulidiidae - picture-winged flies

Family: Xylomyidae - Wood soldier flies

Family: Xylophagidae - Awl-flies

Notes and References

  1. Web site: (Diptera: Culicidae) of Sri Lanka . University of Kelaniya . 25 May 2016 .
  2. Web site: Molecular studies of Anopheles culicifacies (Diptera: Culicidae) in Sri Lanka . University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka . 25 May 2016.
  3. Web site: An annotated checklist of mosquitoes of Sri Lanka . thakshana.nsf.ac.lk . National Science Council of Sri Lanka . 25 May 2016 . Jayasekara, Nalini . Chelliah, Robert V. . 16 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160625065751/http://thakshana.nsf.ac.lk/slstic/NA-81/NA_81.pdf . 25 June 2016 .
  4. Web site: Observation on the mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) of Udawattakele forest, Sri Lanka . Amaresinghe, F.P. . National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka . 25 May 2016.
  5. Web site: Feeding preference of the predatory larvae of genus Lutzia . 6 July 2013 . South Eastern University of Sri Lanka . 26 May 2016. Jeyanthini . P. . Vinobaba . M. .
  6. 25009694 . Drosophila (Hirtodrosophila) chandleri (Diptera: Drosophilidae) a New Species from Sri Lanka with Broad-Headed Males . Journal of the New York Entomological Society . July 1988 . Grimaldi, David . 96 . 3 . 323–326.
  7. Web site: Parasitoids of Liriomyza sativae in Mid country of Sri Lanka . Tropical agricultural research . 26 May 2016.
  8. The Simuliidae (Diptera) of Sri Lanka . Canadian Journal of Zoology . June 1987 . 65 . 6 . 1483–1502 . nrcresearchpress.com . 10.1139/z87-231 . 26 May 2016. Davies . D. M. . Györkös . H. .
  9. Web site: A new species of Damalis FABRICIUS from Sri Lanka (Diptera: Asilidae) . Studia Dipterologica 4(1): 197-200 . 26 May 2016.
  10. Web site: Description of sandfly (diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) species from Sri Lanka . repo.lib.jfn.ac.lk . 26 May 2016.
  11. Web site: New species and new collections of Ceratopogonidae Diptera From Sri lanka . 1982 . 26 May 2016.
  12. Web site: An annotated list of Stratiomyidae (Diptera) from Sri Lanka with taxonomic notes on some genera . 1999 . 1999 . 585 . Masaryk University . 26 May 2016. Hauser . Martin . Rozkošný . Rudolf .
  13. Web site: Studies on fruit fly infestation in banana cultivars in Sri Lanka . Annals of the Sri Lanka Department of Agriculture . 26 May 2016.
  14. Web site: Siphunculina species . ZipcodeZoo . 26 May 2016.
  15. Feijen . Hans R. . Feijen . Cobi . 2020-06-07 . A revision of the genus Teleopsis Rondani (Diptera, Diopsidae) in Sri Lanka with descriptions of two new species and a review of the other stalk-eyed flies from the island . 2021-08-22 . ZooKeys . 946 . 113–151 . en . 10.3897/zookeys.946.53108. 32728342 . 7358254 . free .
  16. Book: The Fauna of Sri Lanka: Status of Taxonomy, Research, and Conservation . 23 January 2016 . Bambaradeniya, Channa N. B.. 2006 . 9789558177518 .