Biosystematics of Hilara, Medetera, and parasitoids of Tachinidae

Paul Arnaud (California Academy of Sciences)

Paul Arnaud with one of his emergence traps adjacent to Middle Lake

Summary

The most active taxonomic research at JRBP is that by Paul Arnaud, Jr., emeritus curator of Entomology at the California Academy of Sciences. Frequently he has one or more emergence traps located along the margin of the main lake or the middle lake.

Arnaud specializes in Diptera (flies), especially the systematics, host associations, biology, and distribution of certain genera of flies in the families Empididae, Thaumaleidae, and Tachinidae. His special focus is the genus Hilara, which includes some species in which males make silky balloons which they present to females during the courtship dance. These balloons may serve to entice females, to provide a stimulus for mating, and/or to distract the female from predatory behavior. Adults congregate near bodies of fresh water. There are roughly a hundred species of Hilara recorded in western North America, and most have been identified and named by Arnaud.