Sarcophagidae (Insecta: Diptera) of Saudi Arabia: new records, an updated checklist and a new species.

As part of a study on the biodiversity of Diptera of south-western Saudi Arabia, a survey of the Diptera fauna of Jazan, Asir and Najran at 10 sites was performed between 20122015 mainly using Malaise traps, sweep nets and baited traps. A total of 21 species of Sarcophagidae are recorded and documented with photographs, seven of which represent new country records for Saudi Arabia. Including species with a reliable previous record from Saudi Arabia, the total number of species of Sarcophagidae known from Saudi Arabia now stands at 51.

An overview of the Leucospidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) of the Arabian Peninsula with description of a new species.

An overview of the family Leucospidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) is provided for the leucospid fauna of the Arabian Peninsula. Two genera containing four species are identified based on morphometrics and colour patterns. One species, Usman, Anwar & Ahmad, , is described.

An overview of the mosquitoes of Saudi Arabia (Diptera: Culicidae), with updated keys to the adult females.

Despite the fact that mosquito-borne infections have considerable consequences for public health in Saudi Arabia, there is neither a thorough review of the species that occur in the country nor updated keys for the identification of the adult females. In this study, species accounts are given for 49 Saudi Arabian mosquito species, as well as Aedes albopictus (Skuse), which is not recorded in Saudi Arabia, but is medically important and is found in some countries of the Middle East and North Africa. Taxonomic notes provide additional information for certain taxa and/or aid their identification.

The Muscidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia, descriptions of two new species, new records and updated list of species.

Despite the economic and medical importance of many species of Muscidae knowledge of species occurring in Saudi Arabia is insufficient. As part of a study on the biodiversity of Diptera of south-western Saudi Arabia a survey of the Diptera fauna of Jazan, Asir and Najran was performed from 2010 to 2015 at 22 sites. Seventy one known taxa of Muscidae were identified and recorded, 29 of which were recorded for the first time from south-western Saudi Arabia and two new species; Atherigona (Acritochaeta) afrotropicalis Deeming sp.

An overview of the Chloropidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia.

Chloropidae are of major economic importance, since the larvae of some species are pests of cereals and grasses, some are parasitoids and predators, and adults of some Hippelates spp. visit and transmit or are suspected of transmitting yaws sores in man and animals and by feeding around the eyes are vectors of Brazilian Purpuric Fever. Within the framework of the exploration of the biodiversity of Diptera in Southwest Saudi Arabia a survey of the grass flies fauna in 18 sites in Jazan, Asir, and Najran in south-western Saudi Arabia was performed mainly using Malaise traps and sweep nets from 2010- to 2016.

An overview of the Syrphidae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia.

Despite the species richness of hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) world-wide (about 6,200 species) and their role as agents for controlling plant pests, their significance as pollinators, and as bioindicators of site quality, hoverfly fauna of Saudi Arabia is poorly known. In exploring the biodiversity of Diptera in southwest Saudi Arabia a survey of the hoverfly fauna of Jazan, Asir, Najran and Al-Baha was performed mainly using Malaise traps, sweep nets and light traps from 2011 to 2014. Forty known species of Syrphidae were identified and recorded in this study, 19 of them new to Saudi Arabia.

An overview of the Ephydridae (Diptera) of Saudi Arabia.

Despite the species richness of Ephydridae world-wide (2000 species) and its prominent environmental roles as a minor pest and as a food for wildlife, only 13 species have been recorded from Saudi Arabia. Between 2012 and 2016, a biodiversity study of Diptera was conducted at Jazan, Asir, and Najran in south-western Saudi Arabia, at 22 sites, was performed mainly using Malaise traps and sweep nets. In this study, 43 known species of Ephydridae were identified, 37 of them for the first time from southwestern Saudi Arabia and 16 from Arabian Peninsula.

A new species of Xiphogramma Nowicki (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Saudi Arabia.

The genus Xiphogramma Nowicki (1940) is recorded for the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with the description of a new species, Xiphogramma hayati sp. nov. An updated key to the world species of this genus is also provided.

Consumer-resource body-size relationships in natural food webs.

It has been suggested that differences in body size between consumer and resource species may have important implications for interaction strengths, population dynamics, and eventually food web structure, function, and evolution. Still, the general distribution of consumer-'resource body-size ratios in real ecosystems, and whether they vary systematically among habitats or broad taxonomic groups, is poorly understood. Using a unique global database on consumer and resource body sizes, we show that the mean body-size ratios of aquatic herbivorous and detritivorous consumers are several orders of magnitude larger than those of carnivorous predators.