Delhi Sands flower-loving fly

Delhi Sands flower-loving fly
Conservation status
Endangered (ESA)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Mydidae
Genus:	Rhaphiomidas
Species:	R. terminatus
Subspecies:	R. t. abdominalis
Trinomial name
Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis Cazier, 1941

The Delhi Sands flower-loving fly (Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis) is a subspecies of flower-loving fly, a member of the genus Rhaphiomidas in the family Mydidae. It was the first fly added to the Endangered Species List in the United States.

This subspecies is restricted to the Delhi sand dunes  [Wikidata] formation, an area of ancient inland dunes in Southern California. Originally, the habitat area consisted of about 40 square miles (100 km²). However, only a few hundred acres, or about 2% of the original habitat area, remain undeveloped.^[1] The rest largely now form much or all of the foundation on which the towns of Colton, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Rialto, and Ontario, California are built.

Adult R. t. abdominalis flies are only active for a few weeks each year, feeding on flowers in June, July, August and September. Residential and commercial development, agricultural conversion, sand mining, invasion by exotic species, dumping of cow manure and trash, and off-road vehicle use have resulted in significant loss and modification of the species' native habitat. Estimates are that over 97% of the original habitat is already gone, and only a portion of what remains is suitable habitat for these flies.

The species was emergency-listed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on September 23, 1993, which has been an extremely contentious listing ever since. Political officials and news services from the region have repeatedly decried this fly as a disease-carrying pest, despite documentation that it is not.^{[citation needed]} There have been repeated attempts by local officials to have the species de-listed. For example, Congressman Joe Baca proposed removing the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly off the Endangered Species List to encourage development.^[2][3][4] There are an estimated 5–10 more species of insects endemic to the Delhi Sands formation, including newly discovered and still unnamed species of scarab beetle, sand roach, and Jerusalem cricket.^{[citation needed]}