Dr. Matt O'Neal presented a great seminar to the Entomology Department on pollinator conservation, and visited our lab. We had a relaxing evening at the Loring Pasta Bar, with good conversation and excellent live music.
Philornis downsi (Dodge and Aitken) is a bird-parasitic muscid fly native to mainland South America that recently invaded the Galapagos Islands where it is parasitizing Darwin’s finches and other land birds. This parasite was previously known only from Argentina, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago. The first report of P. downsi from mainland Ecuador is provided, supporting the hypothesis that the invasion route of P. downsi from its native range to the Galapagos Islands includes mainland Ecuador.