Seven New Species of Medetera Flies with Marc Pollet

You’ve probably seen these organisms before.

They’re green, shiny, and “quite nervous” according to Dr. Marc Pollet, who has been studying Dolichopodidae, long-legged flies, for decades. But there’s so much more to this group than what meets the eye. Take a deep dive into the fascinating world of flies with Marc, and learn a secret or two about the beauty of taxonomy, the importance of names, and what might be waiting to be discovered in your own backyard.

Dr. Marc Pollet’s paper “Discovery of a Lineage of Soil-Dwelling Medetera Species with Multi-Coloured Eyes in Southern Europe” can be found in volume 13 issue 11 of Insects. An open access link is available here: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111012 New Species: Medetera aglaops, Medetera corsicana, Medetera gibbosipyga, Medetera hispanica, Medetera lusitana, Medetera parva, and Medetera rectipyga.

Episode image courtesy of Andreas Stark. Find Marc’s work on his INBO Page: https://pureportal.inbo.be/en/persons/marc-pollet