New Species of Forcepfly Discovered in South America

A team of researchers from the University of Texas A & M has discovered a new species of forcepfly in Central and South America.

The new species of forcepfly, Meropeidae (Mecoptera), is the third species discovered in the forcepfly family. The first record was from the Neotropical region. The specimen was collected in a private ranch near a forest remains bordered by farms in the Atlantic Forest biome, one of the most threatened in Brazil. 

Forcepflies are most commonly known as earwigsflies. The males are known to have a large genital forcep that scientists assume have some role in mating.  

According to the study that is published in the Journal Zookeys, the discovery of this new relict species is an important signal to reinforce the conservation of this biome. Some more mecopterans species are to be discovered in these forests. Till date, these species have never been recorded.

The species can be found in other habitats such as Jarrah forest, woodlands, and sand plain vegetation.

According to the researchers, not much is known about the biology and immature stages of Meropeidae. It is predicted that the insects have a very ancient origin, before the breakup of the continent of Pangaea. It later divided into two different streams, northern and southern.

The adult flies are nocturnal insects that live on the ground and can produce sound by rubbing body parts together.    

"The discovery of this new relict species is an important signal to reinforce the conservation of Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. Certainly there are many more mecopterans species yet to be discovered in these forests", lead author Dr. Renato Machado from the Texas A & M University, College Station, USA, was quoted as saying in Phys.Org. 

There are fossil data that confirm the existence of the two extinct genera in Siberia and Kyrgyzstan during the Middle Jurassic period, reports Examiner.

Such insects face a threat from forest deforestation and other human activity.