Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri

Why in News?

Recently, two new extremely rare ant fly species have been discovered in India, and their findings have been published in the international journal Zootaxa.

• Genus – Metadon.
• Family – Syrphidae.
• Discovery
  • Metadon Ghorpadei - Discovered in the northern ridge forest of Delhi.
  • Metadon reemeri - Discovered in the Sirvuvani hills of Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.
• Habitat –These insects are generally associated with ant nests, where their larvae often live as inquilines (living within the nest without causing harm to the host ants).
• Moderately dense vegetation patches within thorny scrub forest.
• Behavior – Exhibit specialised behaviour known as myrmecophily.

Myrmecophily is the beneficial relationship between ants and other organisms, often plants or insects, where both species gain advantages.

• Larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant brood.
• Adults seldom visit flowers and tend to remain close to ant nests.
• Extremely rare and difficult to detect.
• Uniqueness – Highly specialized ant-associated lifecycle.
• Only 27 Microdontinae species are known from the Indian subcontinent.
• Threats – Habitat fragmentation and human pressure.
• Urbanisation and infrastructure development.
• Invasive plant species.
• Ecological Significance – Demonstrate the ecological value of conserving urban forests such as the Delhi Ridge and biodiversity hotspots.

Reference

TH | Two new rare ant flies