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Megaselia cumtarantula sp. n. is described for Peru. The entire life cycle of these flies takes place on tarantulas of the species Pamphobeteus antinous Pocock. Adults, pupae and larvae were found on the prosoma and femur of the legs of adult tarantulas and only larvae were found on the opisthosoma of juvenile tarantulas. Keywords: Phoridae, Megaselia, Pamphobeteus, commensalism, Peru

A new species of scuttlefly, Megaselia sabreensis sp. n., is described from a cave in France.

Megaselia spiracularis Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae) is a scuttle fly species of forensic importance and has been recorded colonizing human corpses in Malaysia, Korea and China. The necrophagous activity of M. spiracularis larvae on human corpses can be referred to estimate minimum postmortem interval (PMImin) in death investigation. However, developmental data of M. spiracularis derived from ambient fluctuating temperature is scarce and taxonomic descriptions to larval instars for species identification are still lacking. This research was conducted to address these limitations by studying the development of M. spiracularis at fluctuating ambient temperatures. From each sampling occasion, larval body lengths were obtained and samples were mounted on slides to determine larval instars based on taxonomic characteristics of the cephalopharyngeal skeleton, anterior spiracles and posterior spiracles. At fluctuating temperatures of 25–37 °C and relative humidity of 47–93%, developmental duration of egg stage was 7–9.5 h; first instar larva, 9.5–17 h; second instar, 6–12 h, feeding third instar, 18–36 h; post-feeding third instar, 6–12 h; and pupa, 168–204 h. Accumulated degree hours for each developmental stage based on fluctuating ambient temperatures were also determined. The size of M. spiracularis larvae varied from 0.64–0.78 mm after eclosion to 5.20–5.95 mm before entering post feeding phase. The first, second and third instar larva could be distinguished mainly by the morphology of cephalopharyngeal skeletons, anterior spiracles and posterior spiracles. Developmental durations of M. spiracularis larvae and the larval instars can be used as references to estimate PMImin as this species is likely to be featured in future forensic cases.

In a recent survey of saprophagous scuttle flies in the states of Negeri Sembilan and Johor of Peninsular Malaysia, Megaselia ochracea (Brues, 1911) (Diptera: Phoridae) was discovered. Examination on several adult specimens including those cultured from female M. ochracea gave the first description of its hitherto unknown male. This is also the first evidence that M. ochracea can be found outside Taiwan.Key words: scuttle fly, Phoridae, new record, saprophagous, neotype

The collection of the scuttle flies (Diptera, Phoridae) visiting flowers of Cryptogorynae crispatula (Araceae) caught in Yunnan, China were studied. They were identified to 24 species of which only five were known, seven species are hereby described as new to science and next 13 species cannot be named until linked to their opposite sexes. The following are described. Conicera species female YG, cannot be named until linked to its male. Dohrniphora guangchuni n. sp., Megaselia duolobata n. sp., M. excrispatula n. sp., M. interstinctus n. sp., M. leptotibiarum n. sp., M. menglaensis n. sp., M. shooklinglowae n. sp., Megaselia species Y1 female that cannot be named until linked to its male. The recognition of M. chippensis (Brues, 1911), described from a single female, is augmented. Males of 6 species (Y1-Y6) of Puliciphora Dahl, cannot be named until linked to their females and 5 species of Woodiphora Schmitz.

Aenigmatias exreginae sp. n. is described from Slovakia. Its larvae were parasites of a queen of Formica truncorum Fabricius, which survived the infestation. Aenigmatias exreginae sp. n. bol opísaný zo Slovenska. Jeho larvy parazitujú samicu mravca Formica truncorum Fabricius, ktorá žije d'alej po napadnutí.

Phora harzensis sp. n. and P. markshawi sp. n. from the Harz Mountains in Germany are described.

The ant-parasitizing genus Pseudacteon Coquillett from China is revised. Nineteen species are recorded, of which nine are new to science: P. robustisetosus sp. nov., P. inticlinatus sp. nov., P. reticulatus sp. nov., P. linzhiensis sp. nov., P. shennongjianus sp. nov., P. yunnanensis sp. nov., P. calceoliformis sp. nov., P. tianmuensis sp. nov., and P. parviflavus sp. nov. The species P. botulpalpatus Disney et Michailovskaya, P. rudisetosus Disney et Michailovskaya, P. setipalpatus Disney et Michailovskaya, P. setosus Disney et Michailovskaya, P. pullum Michailovskaya and P. formicarum (Verrall) are recorded for the first time in China. The putative female of P. pullum Michailovskaya and the putative males of P. trapeziformis Zhang et Liu and P. setipalpatus Disney et Michailovskaya are also newly described. All known species are redescribed and illustrated. A key to species from China is presented.

The estimation of the minimum value of the postmortem interval is affected by well-known abiotic factors such as temperature and humidity, and others relating to the crime scene (e.g. the presence of direct sunlight or shade, immersion in water). However, there are few published data related to other variables that may exist, such as the presence of different insect species, wrapping of the body, or the presence or absence of maggot masses or predatory larvae. In this paper, a case report is presented in which the corpse of a homeless person was partially wrapped in a blanket. The corpse was found outdoors, in an open area in the province of Alicante (SE Spain). Empty puparia of different species of Diptera were collected during the autopsy. According to the insect development data, the minimum postmortem period was estimated and the influence of different factors, especially the effect of being wrapped in the blanket and the presence of the puparia of different species, was discussed. The entomological evidence includes the first record of Synthesiomyia nudiseta (van der Wulp, 1883) (Diptera: Muscidae) in outdoor conditions, and Puliciphora rufipes Silva Figueroa, 1916 (Diptera: Phoridae), which has not previously been recorded on human remains. This study was funded by Generalitat Valenciana (project GV/2011/039); University of Alicante (project GRE09-27); and Universiti Teknologi MARA (grant number 500-HEA (23/4/11).

Namaki-Khameneh and Disney describe nine new species and one new genusIranphora sharafkhaneensisgen. n., sp. n.,Megaselia caveonectergatasp. n.,M. distinctasp. n.,M. fereagaricisp. n.,M. flavucrurussp. n.,M. paluventersp. n.,M. polysetosissp. n.,Phalacrotophora flavidussp. n., andPhora iranensissp. n. from Iran. As a result, this study increased the total number of reported phorids genera and species from Iran to 12 and 78, respectively.

Phoridae obtained from canopies of ash trees include descriptions of the hitherto unknown female of Gymnophora winqvisti Disney and six new species: Megaselia aulaeae n. sp., M. hortenensis n. sp., M. sognensis n. sp., M. strynensis n. sp., M. vestfoldensis n. sp. and Triphleba brevicostalis n. sp.

(1) We document the invertebrate fauna collected from 24 oak canopies in east and west Norway as a contribution to the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre’s ‘The Norwegian Taxonomy Initiative’. (2) A snap-shot inventory of the canopies was recorded by means of emitting a mist of natural pyrethrum into the canopies at night using a petrol-driven fogger and collecting the specimens in butterfly nets spread on the ground under the canopy. (3) Almost the entire catch of more than 6800 specimens was identified to 722 species. Out of 92 species new to the Norwegian fauna, 21 were new to science and, additionally, 15 were new to the Nordic fauna. Diptera alone constituted nearly half of the species represented, with 61 new records (18 new species). Additionally, 24 Hymenoptera (one new species), six oribatid mites (two new species) and one Thysanoptera were new to the Norwegian fauna. (4) Our study emphasizes the importance of the oak tree as a habitat both for a specific fauna and occasional visitors, and it demonstrates that the canopy fogging technique is an efficient way to find the ‘hidden fauna’ of Norwegian forests. The low number of red listed species found reflects how poor the Norwegian insect fauna is still studied. Moreover, the implication of the IUCN red list criteria for newly described or newly observed species is discussed. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses /by/4.0/).

Megaselia dilatimana Disney, 2006 and M. falloconsueta Disney, 2006 (Diptera, Phoridae), two species of scuttle flies previously only known from Afrotropical region, are reported for the first time from Peninsular Malaysia. These species were collected from July to September 2020 during surveys of saprophagous scuttle flies at selected locations in the states of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, and Johor. The geographical distribution of these species is extended to the Oriental region and increases the number of species of Megaselia known from Peninsular Malaysia to 36.

Nineteen new species, Megaselia culmenensis n. sp., M. cumrallum n. sp., M. dostrupensis n. sp., M. dravedskovensis n. sp., M. ehmsenae n. sp., M. falloclavis n. sp., M. fayesgadeensis n. sp., M. hobroensis n. sp.,M. hojerensis n. sp., M. jenshjerrildi n. sp., M. kajnisseni n. sp., M. micawberi n. sp., M. munki n. sp., M. neuter n. sp., M. onsildensis n. sp., M. romoensis n. sp., M. simestedensis n. sp., M. svendi n. sp., M. tofteensis n. sp. are described from Denmark. M. cumrallum is also reported from England. M. nigricia Disney & Durska reported from Denmark and its recognition clarified.

Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are mega-diverse and often synanthropic insects that play superb roles in various ecosystems. Identification of this group of insects is challenging due to their small size, morphological identification difficulties, niche diversity, and lack of taxonomic keys. To pave the way, an in-depth investigation was directed toward the scuttle flies in Iran using morphological and molecular data. A dichotomous key was also developed to identify the genus and species of the phorids reported in the country. The faunistic findings revealed the presence of about 22,000 (13,903 male and 8,097 female) phorid materials organized into 11 genera.Megaseliaspecies (n = 13768), made up about 99% of the specimens studied. Moreover, 71 morphologically defined species belonging to nine genera were molecularly characterized usingCOI,28S rRNA, andArginine kinasedatasets. Excluding fourMegaseliaRondani, 1856 species, our results specified that morphologically delimited species were in agreement with the molecular analyses inferred from theCOI/28S rRNAandCOI/Arginine kinasesequences with genetic distances and phylogenetic trees. According to the results of the present study and previously published data, the Phoridae recorded for Iran are a total of 97 species that are ordered in 13 genera and three subfamilies, including Chonocephalinae, Metopininae and Phorinae. By comparing the known world phorid genera, a new monotypic genus of scuttle flies,Mahabadphora aesthesphoragen. nov., sp. nov., was identified based on its morphological and molecular characteristics and included in an updated key. Our results could comprehensively determine the taxonomic status of scuttle flies in Iran, scrutinize their phylogenetic structures and facilitate their identification.

our named species of scuttle flies were collected from Ardabil province-Iran, during 2013–2014. A new species of the genus Megaselia Rondani 1856, M. ardabilensis n. sp., is described from the region and Megaselia producta (Schmitz) is recorded from the country for the first time. Geographical distributions and supplementary figures are given.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B28C521B-2BFE-44F3-9041-1656341F29B6

Triphleba salmelai sp. n. from Finland is described.

The morphological recognition of the males of the three species of the Megaselia lucifrons (Schmitz) species group is clarified along with the recognition of the females of two of the species.

1. Parasitoid–host interactions are important components of ecological communities. Although parasitoid–host interactions are strongly shaped by evolutionary history, the abundance of both the parasitoid and the host may have a role in determining the nature of the interaction once phylogenetic relationships are considered. 2. Leafcutter ants are hosts of phorid parasitoids and represent a well-defined and specialised module within a larger network of ant–symbiont interactions. A low specificity host taxa and a positive association between host abundance and parasitoid interaction frequency were expected due to the close phylogenetic relatedness of the hosts. 3. The interactions among all species of leafcutter ants and their parasitoids were quantified in two localities with different species richness. This study also characterised the spatial-temporal variability of these interactions, determined the patterns of parasitoid specificity and host selection, and tested for an association between host abundance and parasitoid interaction frequency. 4. Contrary to expectation, most parasitoid species were highly specialised and interaction frequency for parasitoid species was not related to host abundance. All host ant species were attacked by more than one phorid species. Some phorid species used more than one host species and showed preference for the same species over space and time, suggesting that there are physiological and/or behavioural restrictions on host use. 5. These results show that there is a tendency for specialisation even when hosts are highly similar in their ecology. From a biological control perspective, these parasitoids may be effective candidates, due to the high specificity of some species and little host-use variation through time.

The female of Puliciphora calix Carles-Tolrá is described.

A new species of the genus Megaselia, M. viklundi sp. n. is described. It has been found in Sweden in a Malaise trap situated over a log.

DISNEY, R. Henry L., COMPTON, Stephen G. (2019): A new species of Megaselia Rondani (Diptera: Phoridae) associated with one sex of a dioecious fig tree in Thailand. Fragmenta Faunistica 62 (1): 47-53, DOI: 10.3161/00159301FF2019.62.1.047, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3161/00159301ff2019.62.1.047

The following 21 new species from Iran are described, 7 from East Azerbaijan province Megaselia ajabshirensis, M. chicheckliensis, M. exkaleybar, M. kaleybarensis, M. qurigolensis, M. shabestarensis, M. zonuzensis. and 14 from West Azerbaijan province, M. evogliensis, M. farshbafi, M. ghalateshahensis, M. haddadi, M. hejazii, M. khaghaniniai Namaki & Disney, M. khoyensis, M. ledzona, M. mahabadensis, M. miandoabensis, M. namakiae Khaghaninia & Disney, M. pereensis, M. yaseri, M. zarghanii.

Saifi, Mounir, Disney, R. Henry L., Doumandji, Salaheddine (2019): A new species and new records of scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) from Algeria. Zootaxa 4619 (1): 189-194, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4619.1.11

Two new scuttle fly species of genus Megaselia are described from Poland. M. boguslawi sp. n. was found in central Poland in the pine forest after fire. M. wigryensis n. sp. was cought in the north-eastern part of country in the linden-oak-hornbeam forest of the Wigry National Park.

Scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are small-sized insects of forensic importance. They are well known for diversified species and habitats, but in the context of forensic entomology, scuttle flies' inhabitance of corpses remains inadequately explored. With recent reports indicating the existence of more scuttle fly species possibly inhabiting these environments, a decomposition study using animal carcasses in enclosed environments was conducted. The aim was to record the occurrence of scuttle flies on rabbit carcasses placed in sealed plastic waste bins for a 40-day period. The study was conducted as two replicates in Bangi, Selangor. Sampling was carried out at different time intervals inside a modified mosquito net as a trap. Inside the trap, adult scuttle flies were aspirated and preserved in 70% ethanol. The fly larvae and pupae were reared until their adult stage to facilitate identification. From this study, six scuttle fly species were collected, i.e.,Lalat mencalai (Diptera: Phoridae) ialah serangga kecil berkepentingan forensik. Ia amat terkenal dengan kepelbagaian spesies di habitat yang berlainan. Namun, dalam konteks entomologi forensik, kajian mengenai lalat mencalai yang dijumpai pada mayat masih kurang diberikan perhatian. Memandangkan terdapat pelbagai laporan yang menunjukkan kemungkinan terdapat kepelbagaian spesies lalat mencalai pada persekitaran mayat atau bangkai mereput, satu kajian pereputan bangkai haiwan di lokasi tertutup telah dijalankan. Kajian ini bertujuan merekodkan kehadiran lalat mencalai pada bangkai arnab yang diletakkan di dalam tong sampah selama 40 hari. Kajian ini dijalankan sebanyak dua replikasi di Tapak Simulasi Sains Forensik, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor. Persampelan lalat mencalai dilakukan mengikut selang masa berlainan di dalam kelambu yang diubahsuai. Di dalam kelambu tersebut, lalat yang terperangkap ditangkap dan diawet di dalam larutan etanol 70%. Larva dan pupa dipelihara sehingga peringkat dewasa untuk pengenalpastian spesies. Hasil kajian mendapati terdapat enam spesies lalat mencalai daripada bangkai, iaitu

46 new species of Chonocephalus are described. A key to males and a partial key to the females of the Oriental Region species are provided.

Megaselia anniduedahlae sp. n., M. balfourbrownei sp. n., M. birgittemarkae sp. n., M. carlkahleri sp. n., M. gerdakahlerae sp. n., M. helleorumae sp. n., M. jonasseni sp. n., M. legrandi sp. n., M. loneviolaae n sp. n., M. parhirticrus sp. n., M. pederseni sp. n., M. thomseni sp. n., Triphleba ehmseni sp. n., and T. papei sp. n., are described from Denmark.

Disney, R. Henry L., Durska, Ewa (2020): New Species And New Records Of Megaselia Rondani (Insecta: Diptera: Phoridae) From Wigry National Park (Poland). Annales Zoologici 70 (1): 97-108, DOI: 10.3161/00034541ANZ2020.70.1.004

Eleven new records of Phoridae from Finland and eight new species of Megaselia Rondani. M. confusus n. sp., M. eeroi n. sp., M. horrenticauda n. sp., M. kajaaniensis n. sp., M. miroparaphysis n. sp., M. necrubida n. sp., M. turkuensis n. sp., M. utsjokiensis n. sp. plus the hitherto unknown female of Triphleba aequalis (Schmitz) and Triphleba cumsetae n. sp. are presented.

The faunistic study of the family Phoridae carried out in northwestern of Iran during 2013–2017. Five species (Conicera tibialis Schmitz, 1925, Dohrniphora cornuta (Bigot, 1857), Gymnophora arcuata (Meigen, 1830), Metopina oligoneura (Mik, 1867) and Triphleba intermedia (Malloch, 1908)) are newly recorded from Iran. The genera Conicera Meigen, 1830, Dohrniphora Dahl, 1898, Gymnophora Macquart, 1835 and Triphleba Rondani, 1856 are reported for the first time from the country. Diagnostic characters of the studied species along with their photographs are provided.

Megaselia bangiensis Disney sp. nov., M. cumpapillarum Disney sp. nov., M. hyplongiseta Disney sp. nov. and M. selangorensis Disney sp. nov. were collected from rabbit carcasses placed in concealed environments in Bangi, Malaysia.

Metopina glandula sp. n., M. lacrimula sp. n., M. microquartus sp. n., and two species of males not yet linked to their females are described from Tasmania.

27 new species of Chonocephalus Wandolleck are described. C. tertius Schmitz is synonymised with C. secundus Schmitz. A key to males and a partial key to the females of the Australasian Regions species are provided.

Among Phoridae collected at Sallanches (France, Rhone-Alpes) are Megaselia marekdurskii Disney, previously only known from Poland, and the new species: M. betrugspinata Disney sp. n., M. museoconfluentis Disney sp. n., M. siffointei Disney sp. n. and M. similipropinqua Disney sp. n.

Megaselia donaldsonae Disney sp. nov., M. flava (Fallen), M. gotoi Disney, M. kanekoi Disney, M. margaretae Disney sp. nov., M. nakayamai Disney sp. nov., M. salteri Disney sp. nov. and M. stepheni Disney sp. nov. were reared from sporophores of fungi.

The new species to science - Megaselia garwolinensis is described from the post-fire area in the Garwolin Forest n. Warsaw. The other two species found during the study: Megaselia bifida and M. citronella are for the first time recorded in Poland.

64 species of Phoridae, in 6 genera, are reported from the Kola Peninsula, north of the Arctic Circle. The new species Megaselia elenae and M. kozlovi are described. 33 species of Megaselia, only known from females, are given code numbers. Keys to the species of all the females of Megaselia and Phora are provided; and also a key to the males European Megaselia species with a notopleural cleft.