Muscidae and Ulidiidae (Diptera: Insecta) in burned areas during the first year after fire (abundance and dynamics)

The biodiversity and abundance of two families of Diptera were studied at 11 plots located in burned forest areas and unburned forest ecosystems. The research was conducted in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Republic of Mordovia, European Russia) during the first year after the megafires. A total of 2,349 specimens were analyzed, of which 964 were not identified of which 964 could not be identified to species level due to poor preservation or lack of diagnostic characters. Sixteen species were reliably recorded, including 11 species of Muscidae and 5 species of Ulidiidae. Among Muscidae, Phaonia pallida, Thricops simplex, and Muscina pascuorum were the most abundant across all plots, while among Ulidiidae, Euxesta notata and Pseudotephritis millepunctata dominated. The first three species were present in all plots without exception. At the fire boundaries, a trend was observed toward increasing abundance of Muscidae and Ulidiidae in less severely burned plots. The colonization of burned areas by strong fliers Muscidae and Ulidiidae species occurs actively during the first year after fire. Euxesta notata represents the first record for Russia; it is an invasive species that entered Europe from North America.