Alpine-ecology

Guides

• Empidinae

  dance flies

  Empidinae, commonly called dance flies, are a subfamily of predatory empidoid flies. Males of many species form mating swarms near visual markers, often presenting captured prey to females as nuptial gifts during courtship. The subfamily exhibits diverse mating systems, including lek polygyny and sex-role reversal where females swarm and males choose mates. Many species are effective pollinators of flowering plants, particularly in alpine and subalpine ecosystems where they can achieve pollination effectiveness comparable to honeybees.

  DipteraEmpididaedance-fliespollinationnuptial-giftssexual-selectionalpine-ecologyNeotropical-diversitylek-matingsex-role-reversal

• Hyposoter

  Hyposoter is a large cosmopolitan genus of ichneumonid wasps in the subfamily Campopleginae. Species are koinobiont endoparasitoids that attack various holometabolan insects, primarily Lepidoptera. The genus exhibits substantial species diversity with over 70 species recognized in the Western Palaearctic region alone. Swiss studies indicate higher species richness at low altitudes, with only three species considered high-altitude specialists.

  parasitoidichneumonidaecampopleginaekoinobiontendoparasitoidlepidopterapolydnaviruscosmopolitanalpine-ecologyspecies-diversity