Species

BackMycetophila storai Chandler & Ribeiro, 1995

Mycetophila storai Chandler & Ribeiro, 1995

Fungus gnat

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Diptera
  • Family: Mycetophilidae
DD Data Deficient
IUCN Red List Status:

Countries of Occurrence:
Portugal - Azores

Archipelago(s):
Azores

Reviewer/s:
Russell, N.

Contributor/s:

Facilitators / Compilers/s:


Assessment Rationale:

Mycetophila storai is an endemic fly species of the Azores (Portugal), known from Terceira and S. Miguel island. This species is known from sites that are currently highly degraded. From the historical data, this species has a small Extent of Occurrence (1,205 km2) and Area of Occupancy (56 km2); and it is possible that this species has declined in the past, as a result of human activity. The present situation of this species needs to be further assessed, and further research is needed into its population, distribution, threats, ecology and life history. Conservation of native habitats and humid areas could potentially aid this species' conservation. Based upon the lack of recent data regarding this species' population, distribution, threats and ecology, it is not possible to accurately estimate the extinction risk of the species and it could theoretically fall into any category. Therefore, this species is assessed as Data Deficient (DD).

Geographic Range:

Mycetophila storai is an Azorean-endemic fly species described from the islands of Terceira and S. Miguel (Azores, Portugal) (Borges et al. 2010). This species was collected at some sites that are currently highly degraded. Based on the historical data (Frey 1945), the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) could be ca. 1,205 km² and the Area of Occupancy (AOO) could be ca. 56 km². However, there is no recent information regarding the distribution of this species, and the actual full distribution of the species is unknown.

Regions:
Portugal - Azores
Extent of Occurrence (EOO):
(km2)
Area of Occupancy (AOO):
(km2)
Elevation Lower Limit:
350 (m)
Elevation Upper Limit:
600 (m)
Biogeographic Realms:
Palearctic
Presence:
Extant
Origin:
Endemic Azores
Seasonality:
Resident

Population:

No current population size estimates exist for this species, and the overall population size and trend are essentially unknown.

Habitat and Ecology

The ecology and traits of this species are unknown. Mycetophilidae occur mainly in humid areas like moist forests (McAlpine et al. 1981), but are also quite common in swamps, while some species live in the moister parts of heath and open grassland and other species have been recorded on mosses and liverworts. The larvae of many species live in fleshy or woody fungi or in dead wood and usually feed on fungi, especially the fruiting bodies, but also spores and hyphae. Nevertheless, the larvae of some species, while still being associated with fungi, are at least partly predatory (McAlpine et al. 1981). A few species are monophagous or polyphagous, but the majority of species are restricted to particular genera or families of fungi. Pupation usually takes place in the ground but some species pupate in the host fungus (McAlpine et al. 1981). This species was collected near lakes or in and area of semi-natural pasture.

Major Threat(s):

A lack of information regarding the present status of this species precludes an assessment of potential threats. Nevertheless, the ecology of other members of the Mycetophilidae family suggests that this species might be affected by future habitat declines as a consequence of climate change (Ferreira et al., 2016) and increased droughts. This species was collected from several highly disturbed sites, so past and present anthropogenic impacts, coupled with habitat degradation by invasive species might have also affected it.

Conservation Actions

The species is not protected by regional law. The present situation of this species needs to be further assessed, and further research is needed into its population, distribution, threats, ecology and life history. From what is known, conservation of natural habitats water bodies and other wet areas, together with problematic species control, could potentially aid this species' conservation. Historically, this species was present in areas that are currently included in the Natural Parks of Terceira and S. Miguel, albeit disturbed.