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Project title

Identifying the environmental requirements of Sciomyzidae (Diptera) on turloughs in the west of Ireland.

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)

Lead Applicant

Mike Gormally

Project Abstract

There has been much interest in the ecology of fliesof the family Sciomyzidae (Berg and Knutson 1978)largely as a result of the obligate malacophagyobserved in the majority of their larvae (Berg 1953).This gives them potential as bio-control agents ofsnail-borne trematode diseases of humans (Barkeret al. 2004; Appleton et al. 1993) and livestock(Gormally 1988; Mc Donnell et al. 2005) and ofsome gastropod agricultural pests (Coupland andBaker 1995). Recently this interest has extended totheir use as a model system for the evolution ofsaprophagousi-predatoryi-parasitoid behaviour in dipterouslarvae (Knutson and Vala 2002) and as bioindicators.Speight (1986) who has suggested Sciomyzidae(Diptera) as suitable bio-indicators of wetland habitatquality lists taxonomic biogeographic biologicaland logistic criteria all of which are satisfied bySciomyzidae (Rozkosnyi? 1987; Vala 1989; Rozkosnyi?1995 for example). In addition Keiper et al. (2002)highlighted Sciomyzidae as one of five cyclorraphousfamilies noted for their high abundance and speciesrichness and one of six families noted for theirmicrohabitat specificity on wetlands. Till date howeverlittle quantitative data have been available tosupport these assertions. In a study of a wet-woodland(in the Czech Republic) Vanhara (1981) notedLauxaniidae Empididae Dolichopodidae Opomizidaeand Phoridae as most abundant but alsohighlighted the importance of predatory larvae whichincludes the 22 species in eleven genera of Sciomyzidae.The differences between wet-woodland andmore typical wetland habitats emphasise the importanceof habitat characterisation. Studies of themacro-habitat associations of Sciomyzidae in agriecosystems(Speight 2004a) and national parksmanaged for nature conservation (Speight 2004b)have been undertaken with malaise and emergencetrap surveys. The results of these studies have shownSciomyzidae to be more prominent in disused areasof farms and to reflect the range of habitats presentand past management history of the parks. A study ofSciomyzidae across a transect at the Departement dela Somme using yellow pan traps concluded thatadults of the species collected are generally sedentaryand restrict their movement to the habitats in whichtheir larval prey are found (Vala and Brunel 1987).

Grant Approved

�74,898.00

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Sectoral Impacts on Biodiversity

Start Date

n/a

Initial Projected Completion Date

n/a