The family Conopidae (Diptera) in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

• Main Authors: Magdi El-Hawagry, Ahmed Soliman, Hathal Al Dhafer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pensoft Publishers 2021-01-01
• Series: Biodiversity Data Journal
• Subjects: thick-headed flies; local distribution; dates of c
• Online Access: https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/60287/download/pdf/

The present study is one in a series of planned studies aiming to catalogue the whole order Diptera in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.All known Egyptian and Saudi Arabian conopid taxa are systematically catalogued in the present study. Three species recorded herein for the first time from Saudi Arabia: Conops (Asiconops) elegans Meigen, 1804 and Thecophora atra (Fabricius, 1775) (Al-Baha region, southwestern of Saudi Arabia); Conops (Conops) quadrifasciatus De Geer, 1776 (Tabuk region, northwestern of Saudi Arabia). Physocephala variegata (Meigen, 1924) is also recorded for the first time from Gebel Elba, the southeastern triangle of Egypt. Considering that Gebel Elba in Egypt and Al-Baha in Saudi Arabia are affiliated to the Afrotropical Region, this is the first time to record Physocephala variegata and Thecophora atra from the Afrotropical Region. An updated taxonomy, world and local distributions, dates of collection and some colored photographs are provided.