Inventory of Sarcophaginae (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) for the Humid Chaco, a poorly surveyed ecoregion of South America

Abstract

Sarcophaginae is a large subfamily of sarcophagid flies (Diptera: Calyptratae: Oestroidea: Sarcophagidae) which have diverse habits, mainly sarcosaprophagous, and have forensic and sanitary importance. This is the first work that analyzes the fauna of Sarcophaginae exclusively in the Humid Chaco ecoregion where diversity of flies has scarcely been studied. This inventory was based on: a) samplings at different locations in the province of Chaco, Argentina, and in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil; b) examination of entomological collections and c) bibliographic records. Sixty-two species of Sarcophaginae flies are included in this paper, of which 31 species are recorded for the first time in the Humid Chaco ecoregion. Ten species are new records for Argentina, two for Brazil and three for Paraguay. Lepidodexia (Neophytodes) lindneri Townsend, 1931, Lepidodexia (Notochaeta) adelina Mulieri, Schaefer, Duré and González, 2018, Lepidodexia (Pachygraphomima) lenti Lopes, 1980, Oxysarcodexia berthet Dufek and Mulieri, 2017, Oxysarcodexia ibera Dufek and Mulieri, 2017 and Retrocitomyia paraguayensis Lopes, 1985 are registered as endemic species of the Humid Chaco ecoregion. Species with forensically and sanitary importance are listed. Some comments on species distribution previously published in catalogues are provided.