Seasonal Fluctuations in Sarcophagidae (Diptera: Calyptratae) Assemblages in the Humid Chaco Ecoregion, Argentina

Abstract

The seasonal fluctuations of flesh fly (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) assemblages were investigated from March 2015 to February 2016 in five habitat types in the Humid Chaco ecoregion, Chaco Province, Argentina. Three of the habitats were anthropized: an urban area, a cattle farm, and an alfalfa crop; and two were natural: a savanna and a forest. Flesh flies were collected monthly at 25 sampling points, five per habitat. In total, 5,790 male specimens comprising 55 species distributed in 15 genera were collected. The assemblage composition of flesh flies in each habitat and season was analyzed in terms of abundance, species richness, and diversity. In addition, the correlation between these community parameters and climatic factors (precipitation 7 and 14 d before samplings, temperature, and relative humidity) were evaluated in each habitat. The highest abundance and species richness of Sarcophagidae were registered in May (autumn) and June (winter), respectively. The lowest diversity values were observed between August and September (end of winter and early spring) in all habitats. However, flesh flies were present and well represented (in terms of species richness) throughout the year in all habitat types. Fluctuations in the abundance of the most abundant species collected were analyzed. The climatic factors were correlated with diversity and species richness in the urban, cattle farm, and savanna habitats. This study revealed that flesh fly assemblages differed temporally between different types of habitats in accordance with climatic factors and microclimate conditions.