News: Researchers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu discovered two new, extremely rare ant fly species in India: Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri.
About Metadon Ghorpadei and Metadon Reemeri
- Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri are rare ant fly species from India.
- Family: They belong to the subfamily Microdontinae (Syrphidae).
- Metadon ghorpadei was found in the northern ridge forest of Delhi.
- Metadon reemeri was discovered in the Siruvani Hills of the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu.
- Until now, only six species of the genus Metadon have been reported from India.
- Their larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant brood, a special behaviour known as myrmecophily, making them difficult to detect.
- Members of microdontinae rarely visit flowers and usually stay near ant nests, which explains their rarity.
- Of the 454 species reported worldwide, only 27 occur in the Indian subcontinent.
