A new ant-parasitising species of the genus Microselia (Diptera: Phoridae) from southern Russia
D.M. Shevchenko
& R.H.L. Disney
Abstract. A new scuttle fly species, Microselia rossica sp. nov. (Diptera: Phoridae), a parasitoid of the ant species Camponotus vagus (Scopoli, 1763), is described from the floodplain habitats of the Rostov Province in southern European Russia. This is the first confirmed case of parasitisation by scuttle flies of worker ants in Russia. The behaviour of the females of the new species attacking the ants is described.
Key words: ants, scuttle flies, parasitoid, parasitisation, floodplain habitats, Phoridae, Formicidae, Camponotus, Microselia, new species
Zoosystematica Rossica, 2025, 34(1): 3-8 ▪ Published online 5 January 2025
https://doi.org/10.31610/zsr/2025.34.1.3 ▪ Open full article 
Electronic supplementary materials
Electronic supplementary material 1-
Fig. 3.
The habitat of Microselia rossica sp. nov. in its type locality (floodplain of the Chir River, Rostov Province of Russia). A, willow (Salix alba L.), the habitat of M. rossica sp. nov.; B, worker ants of Camponotus vagus on the willow trunk, maintaining aphid colony (the white circle highlights the female of M. rossica sp. nov. attacking the worker ant). File format: JPG.
Electronic supplementary material 2-
Video file. The female of Microselia rossica sp. nov. trying to oviposit in the worker ant of Camponotus vagus maintaining on aphids colony. File format: MP4.
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