The influence of ambient conditions and space on the phenological patterns of a Solenopsis phorid guild in an arid environment

We observed the diurnal distribution of a phorid parasitoid guild of Solenopsis fire ants across five sites in an arid region of western Argentina over 17-months. We found a rich assembly of 15 taxa, of which 7 species were found each month of the year and over most times of the day. The majority of species were found most frequently in the evening. A Canonical Correspondence Analysis of the hourly abundances of the flies in relation to field meteorological conditions suggested that two broad groups of species existed, one of which had flight periods associated with hotter, drier conditions than the second. The first group was most commonly represented by Pseudacteon tricuspis, the P. obtusus complex and P. cultellatus, while some members of the second group, such as the P. nocens complex and P. litoralis were the most abundant and commonly found flies. The range of conditions in which these flies were found suggests that all of the common taxa represent populations that might be suitable for introduction into similarly arid environments of Texas.