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Diversity of hoverflies and their floral visitation patterns in cultivated cucurbit crops in Morogoro, Tanzania.

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Title: Diversity of hoverflies and their floral visitation patterns in cultivated cucurbit crops in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Authors: Kabota, Sija A. (AUTHOR), Tairo, Jenipher C. (AUTHOR), Mwatawala, Maulid W. (AUTHOR), Majubwa, Ramadhani O. (AUTHOR), Abdul, Kudra B. (AUTHOR), Virgilio, Massimiliano (AUTHOR), De Meyer, Marc (AUTHOR), Jordaens, Kurt (AUTHOR)
Source: Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. Jul2025, Vol. 173 Issue 7, p767-780. 14p.
Subjects: Pollination, Species diversity, Foraging behavior, Syrphidae, Watermelons, Agricultural ecology
Geographic Terms: Morogoro (Tanzania), Tanzania
Abstract: Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) provide valuable ecosystem services, such as pollination, to a large variety of wild and cultivated sexually reproducing plant species. In this study, we examined the diversity, number of visits, visitation rate and foraging time of hoverfly species in three main cucurbit crops (cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.), watermelons (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai) and squash (Cucurbita moschata D.)) in two agroecological zones (mountainous and plateau) of the Morogoro region in Tanzania, between March and July 2020. We recorded 801 hoverflies of 12 species, of which the most common were Toxomerus floralis (Fabricius, 1798) (37.7% of total records), Eristalinus megacephalus (Rossi, 1794) (25.3%) and Mesembrius caffer (Loew, 1858) (16.4%). Hoverfly diversity was significantly higher in watermelon and squash crops within the mountainous zone as compared to the plateau zone. Toxomerus floralis was the most frequent visitor across all crops and agroecological zones. Eristalinus megacephalus showed a higher visitation frequency than M. caffer in cucumber and watermelon in the mountainous zone. Visitation rates for E. megacephalus, T. floralis and M. caffer were markedly higher in the mountainous zone than in the plateau zone. Of all hoverfly species, T. floralis displayed the longest foraging times in the mountainous zone. Seasonality appeared to have no significant impact on foraging duration and number of flower visits. These findings provide a valuable baseline for understanding hoverfly diversity and foraging behaviour on cucurbit crops and serve as a crucial stepping stone towards a deeper understanding of hoverfly feeding behaviour and its implications for agriculture. Additional studies are required to describe the actual role in pollination of the hoverflies and the factors that may enhance their potential as pollinators of cucurbit crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Diversity of hoverflies and their floral visitation patterns in cultivated cucurbit crops in Morogoro, Tanzania.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kabota%2C+Sija+A%2E%22">Kabota, Sija A.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tairo%2C+Jenipher+C%2E%22">Tairo, Jenipher C.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mwatawala%2C+Maulid+W%2E%22">Mwatawala, Maulid W.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Majubwa%2C+Ramadhani+O%2E%22">Majubwa, Ramadhani O.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Abdul%2C+Kudra+B%2E%22">Abdul, Kudra B.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Virgilio%2C+Massimiliano%22">Virgilio, Massimiliano</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22De+Meyer%2C+Marc%22">De Meyer, Marc</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Jordaens%2C+Kurt%22">Jordaens, Kurt</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Entomologia+Experimentalis+et+Applicata%22">Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata</searchLink>. Jul2025, Vol. 173 Issue 7, p767-780. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pollination%22">Pollination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Species+diversity%22">Species diversity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foraging+behavior%22">Foraging behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Syrphidae%22">Syrphidae</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Watermelons%22">Watermelons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Agricultural+ecology%22">Agricultural ecology</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Morogoro+%28Tanzania%29%22">Morogoro (Tanzania)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tanzania%22">Tanzania</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) provide valuable ecosystem services, such as pollination, to a large variety of wild and cultivated sexually reproducing plant species. In this study, we examined the diversity, number of visits, visitation rate and foraging time of hoverfly species in three main cucurbit crops (cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.), watermelons (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai) and squash (Cucurbita moschata D.)) in two agroecological zones (mountainous and plateau) of the Morogoro region in Tanzania, between March and July 2020. We recorded 801 hoverflies of 12 species, of which the most common were Toxomerus floralis (Fabricius, 1798) (37.7% of total records), Eristalinus megacephalus (Rossi, 1794) (25.3%) and Mesembrius caffer (Loew, 1858) (16.4%). Hoverfly diversity was significantly higher in watermelon and squash crops within the mountainous zone as compared to the plateau zone. Toxomerus floralis was the most frequent visitor across all crops and agroecological zones. Eristalinus megacephalus showed a higher visitation frequency than M. caffer in cucumber and watermelon in the mountainous zone. Visitation rates for E. megacephalus, T. floralis and M. caffer were markedly higher in the mountainous zone than in the plateau zone. Of all hoverfly species, T. floralis displayed the longest foraging times in the mountainous zone. Seasonality appeared to have no significant impact on foraging duration and number of flower visits. These findings provide a valuable baseline for understanding hoverfly diversity and foraging behaviour on cucurbit crops and serve as a crucial stepping stone towards a deeper understanding of hoverfly feeding behaviour and its implications for agriculture. Additional studies are required to describe the actual role in pollination of the hoverflies and the factors that may enhance their potential as pollinators of cucurbit crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/eea.13583
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 767
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Pollination
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Species diversity
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foraging behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Syrphidae
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Watermelons
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      – SubjectFull: Agricultural ecology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Morogoro (Tanzania)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tanzania
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      – TitleFull: Diversity of hoverflies and their floral visitation patterns in cultivated cucurbit crops in Morogoro, Tanzania.
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              M: 07
              Text: Jul2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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