Revision of the Mesoamerican species of Calolydella Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) and description of twenty-three new species reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica

A groundbreaking study identifies and describes 23 new species of the fly genus Calolydella, all reared from caterpillars across diverse lepidopteran families within the Area de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica. This research significantly expands the known biodiversity of Mesoamerican tachinid flies by integrating morphological, life history, and molecular data, alongside photographic documentation. Additionally, it provides a revised generic redescription and key for species identification, while proposing Lydella frugale as a new synonym under Calolydella, enhancing taxonomic clarity. The study underscores the ACG's ecological importance as a hotspot for insect diversity and host-parasite interactions.

Fleming, A., Wood, D. M., Smith, M. A., Hallwachs, W., & Janzen, D. (2018). Revision of the Mesoamerican species of Calolydella Townsend (Diptera: Tachinidae) and description of twenty-three new species reared from caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica. Biodiversity Data Journal, 6. https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.6.e11223