Association of the scuttle fly <i>Megaselia leucozona</i> Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae) with sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), with a description of the male fly

Polidori, C., Disney, R. H. L., Boesi, R. & Andrietti, F. 2005: Association of the scuttle fly Megaselia leucozona Schmitz (Diptera: Phoridae) with sweat bees (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), with a description of the male fly. — Entomol. Fennica 16: 144–150. Megaselia leucozona Schmitz (Diptera, Phoridae) is reported from nests of Lasioglossum malachurum Kirby and Halictus scabiosae (Rossi) in Central Italy.Thefliespatrolledtwonestingsitesofthehostsandsometimesmatedcloseto their nest entrances before entering. Observations agree with the general behaviour reported for other Megaselia species associated with fossorial bees and wasps.ThehithertounknownmaleofM.leucozonaisdescribed,andtheoriginal description of a female is augmented and modified. This is the first report of a scuttle fly associated with nests of Halictidae in the Palaearctic Region. C.Polidori,DipartimentodiBiologia,SezionediZoologiaCitologia,Universita Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy; E-mail: cpolidori