Calcaretropidia
| Calcaretropidia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Syrphidae |
| Subtribe: | Tropidiina |
| Genus: | Keiser, 1971 |
| Type species | |
| Calcaretropidia madagascariensis | |
| Species | |
| |
Calcaretropidia is a genus of hoverfly (family Syrphidae) in the subtribe Tropidiina.[1]
Classification
Calcaretropidia is one of eleven genera in the subtribe Tropidiina, the other ten being: Tropidia, Orthoprosopa, Paratropidia, Macrozelima, Meropidia, Nepenthosyrphus, Rhinotropidia, Senogaster, Syritta, and Brachypalpoides.[2]
Characteristics
Key characteristics of the genus Calcaretropidia include a swollen hind femur, a carinate face, and large ommatidia.[3]
Distribution
Until 2017, Calcaretropidia was thought to be endemic to the island of Madagascar. The discovery of Calcaretropidia delmohardy on the islands of Sulawesi and New Guinea disproved this,[3][4] confirming Calcaretropidia's presence on both sides of the Lydekker line and challenging earlier assumptions of endemism to Madagascar.[3]
Ecology and behaviour
Seasonality
Unlike many temperate species in the subtribe Tropidiina that exhibit summer seasonality,[2] Calcaretropidia species occur in tropical regions such as Madagascar, New Guinea, and Sulawesi, where activity is likely governed by local climatic conditions (such as humidity) rather than temperature seasonality. Currently, no general flight season has been established.[3]
Feeding
While little is known about Calcaretropidia's specific feeding behaviour, they are thought to pollinate flowers as adults.[3]
References
- ^ Moran, Kevin M; Skevington, Jeffrey H; Kelso, Scott; Mengual, Ximo; Jordaens, Kurt; Young, Andrew D; Ståhls, Gunilla; Mutin, Valerii; Bot, Sander; van Zuijen, Menno; Ichige, Katsuyoshi; van Steenis, Jeroen; Hauser, Martin; van Steenis, Wouter (2021-04-06). "A multigene phylogeny of the eristaline flower flies (Diptera: Syrphidae), with emphasis on the subtribe Criorhinina". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 194 (1): 120–135. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab006. ISSN 0024-4082. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
- ^ a b "Subtribe Tropidiina". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-30.
- ^ a b c d e Mengual, Ximo (2022-07-20). "A new record of Calcaretropidia delmohardy Thompson, 2017 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Australasia" (PDF). Suara Serangga Papua (SUGAPA).
- ^ Thompson, F. Christian (2017-08-01). "First Calcaretropidia Flower Fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) Known from New Guinea: The Description of a New Species". Entomological News. 127 (2): 93–98. doi:10.3157/021.127.0202. ISSN 0013-872X. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2025-07-31.