Mydas Flies

Cresting a red sand dune, you come upon an unexpected sight in the desert: a shimmering expanse of fresh water. This oasis is no mirage, but a lake accidentally created by waste water from a desalination plant serving the growing city of Al Ain. The lake has brought change to the creatures, like the mydas fly, that are adapted to life in this stark and beautiful landscape. Ari Daniel Shapiro reports this cautionary tale from the United Arab Emirates. Download a transcript of this podcast read moreDuration: 5:25Published: Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:05:39 +0000

Figure 1.Map of the Afrotropical Region with biodiversity hotspots sensu Conservation International showing distribution of Ectyphus (red circles) and Parectyphus (blue squares). Note the distribution of Ectyphus in south-eastern Kenya.

Figures 2–5.Photographs of Ectyphus species. 2 Ectyphus abdominalis (♀ holotype, SAMC, Morphbank); 3–4 Ectyphus amboseli sp. n. (♂ holotype, AAM-000191, CAS) 3 dorsal (Morphbank) 4 lateral (Morphbank) 5 Ectyphus armipes (♂ holotype, SAMC, Morphbank). Scale lines = 5 mm.

Figures 11–19.Male terminalia of Ectyphus species. 11–13. Ectyphus amboseli sp. n. 11 lateral 12 dorsal 13 ventral; 14–16 Ectyphus armipes 14 lateral 15 dorsal 16 ventral; 17–19 Ectyphus capillatus 17 lateral 18 dorsal 19 ventral. Scale lines = 1 mm.

Mydas ventralis Gerstacker 1968, Mexico: Baja California Sur, 28-29 km N Todos Santos