Back from the dead: Thyreophora cynophila (Panzer, 1798) (Diptera: Piophilidae) 'globally extinct' fugitive in Spain

Abstract

We report on a sensational find in central Spain of six specimens of Thyreophora cynophila (Panzer, 1798), a colourful, strange-looking piophilid fly living on carcasses of big mammals in advanced stages of decay. Published data suggest that the species is known exclusively from central western Europe (Germany, Austria and France), and was observed last near Paris, France, in the late 1840s, i.e. more than 160 years ago. Accordingly, T. cynophila was placed in 2007 as the only dipteran on a list of recent European animals considered to be globally extinct. Collection-based data from all 16 known extant specimens found in seven European natural history museums revealed a specimen without date of T. cynophila from Algiers, Algeria. The status of the three thyreophorine piophilids known from Europe is summarized. For the smallest species we reinstate the name Centrophlebomyia anthropophaga (Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) with Centrophlebomyia orientalis Hendel, 1907 as a subjective junior synonym (syn.n.). We speculate as to why thyreophorines, and T. cynophila in particular, have evaded detection for so long.