Anthomyiidae - Pegomya sp.
Family Anthomyiidae
Pegomya sp. Size: 5.54 mm Group Guild Status Incidental? Unknown Rare This species is most likely an incidental in the cave. We found only a single animal in the Main Corridor on June 12, 2010. Species of Pegomya are primarily leaf miners as larvae, but a few species attack pine cones, and there are also fungivorous species. There are records of Pegomya from caves (Barnes et al. 2009; Peck 1988; RBP, unpublished data), but associations are typically with entrance areas where there is proximity to vegetation, often in karst features such as sinkhole entrances. There is no lush vegetation in the Kartchner Caverns Entrance Sink, so anthomyiid flies that commonly occur in such habitats would be less likely to be present here. We think a fungal association for this species is unlikely, or we would likely have found more than a single individual in the cave. |
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