Ochthera

Ochthera
Ochthera sp. from the Western Ghats
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Ephydridae
Subfamily: Gymnomyzinae
Tribe: Ochtherini
Genus: Ochthera
Latreille, 1802[1]
Type species
Musca manicata
Ochthera mantis

Ochthera is a genus of flies in the family of shore flies (Ephydridae). The genus is distinctive because of the swollen raptorial forelegs. The larvae are predaceous on midge larvae while the adults feed on midges and mosquitoes. The genus is found around the world with about 37 species.[3] The species Ochthera chalybescens has been shown to prey on African malaria vectors .[4][5]

  1. ^ Latreille, P.A. (1802). Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere, des crustaces et des insectes. Tome troisieme. Paris: Dufart. pp. xii + 13–467 + 1 pp.
  2. ^ Fabricius, J.C. (1794). Entomologia systematica emendata et aucta. Vol. 4. Hafniae [=Copenhagen]: C. G. Proft. pp. [6] + 472 + [5] pp.
  3. ^ Zhang, J.; Yang, D. (2006). "Review of the species of the genus Ochthera from China (Diptera: Ephydridae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 1206: 1–22. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ^ Minakawa, N; Futami, K.; Sonye, G.; Akweywa, P. & Kaneko, S. (2007). "Predatory capacity of a shorefly, Ochthera chalybescens, on malaria vectors". Malaria Journal. 6: 104.
  5. ^ Mathis, W.N.; Zatwarnicki, T. (1995). "World catalog of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae)". Memoirs of Entomology, International. 4: 1–423.