Hecamede brasiliensis

Invasion History

First Galapagos Record: 1989

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General Invasion History:

Fifteen species of shore flies (Ephydridae) are known from the Galapagos. Two species are apparently introductions, previously absent in the East Pacific. The remaining species are widespread in the Neotropics (Mathis 1995). 
 
The shore fly Hecamede brasiliensis was described from Rio de Janeiro, State, Brazil, in 1938. It is distributed on both coasts of the tropical Atlantic, from Belize and the West Indies to Brazil, and in Cameroon and Nigeria. The occurrence in Belize (1989, Mathis 1993), may represent a recent invasion since it was not found by Mathis in previous sampling. This fly is also found in the oceanic islands of St. Helena and Ascension (Mathis 1993). It appears to be cryptogenic on both sides of the Atlantic since its native region is not clear. 

Invasion History in the Galapagos:

Hecamede brasiliensis was collected in 1989 on Isla Floreana and Isla Isabela, in mangrove debris and saline soil (Mathis 1993; Peck et al. 1998). 

Invasion history elsewhere in the world:

Invasion History Elsewhere in the World is not summarized for this species at this time.

Description

The shore fly Hecamede brasiliensis is one of a family of small flies that breed in saline waters, shoreline debris, and shallow fresh to hypersaline, organically rich water. The adult flies usually stay near water or shores, in low emergent or shoreline vegetation. Hecamede brasiliensis has a nondescript typical fly-like appearance, gray to brown in color, with lighter legs and wings, 1.60–2.65 mm long (Mathis 1994).

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Taxonomy

Ecology

General:

Shore flies (Ephyridae) are small flies that usually occur near water or wetlands, often in saline conditions. Larvae are typical small maggots which may develop in water, wet soil, or vegetation. Hecamede brasiliensis is usually found near mangrove debris (Mathis 1994). Adults are associated with dead fishes, crabs, and decaying vegetation (Mathis 1993). In the Galapagos Islands, it was found on saline soil, or mangrove debris (Peck et al. 1998). Adults usually do not fly far from water (Simpson 1976).

Food:

Algae; dead fish, crabs, decaying vegeation

Trophic Status:

Suspension Feeder

SusFed

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Habitats

General Habitat	Unstructured Bottom	None
General Habitat	Salt-brackish marsh	None
General Habitat	Nontidal Freshwater	None
General Habitat	Swamp	None
General Habitat	Mangroves	None
General Habitat	Terrestrial	None
General Habitat	Coarse Woody Debris	None
Salinity Range	Limnetic	0-0.5 PSU
Salinity Range	Oligohaline	0.5-5 PSU
Salinity Range	Mesohaline	5-18 PSU
Salinity Range	Polyhaline	18-30 PSU
Tidal Range	Low Intertidal	None
Tidal Range	Mid Intertidal	None
Tidal Range	High Intertidal	None
Tidal Range	Supratidal	None
Vertical Habitat	Epibenthic	None

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Life History

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Tolerances and Life History Parameters

Minimum Length (mm)	1.6	None
Maximum Length (mm)	2.6	None
Broad Temperature Range	None	Tropical
Broad Salinity Range	None	Polyhaline-Euhaline

General Impacts

Impacts are unknown.

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References

Carlton, James T.; Keith, Inti; Ruiz, Gregory M. (2019) Assessing marine bioinvasions in the Galápagos Islands: implications for conservation biology and marine protected areas, Aquatic Invasions 14(1): 1-20

Mathis, Wayne N. (1993) Studies of Gymnomyzinae (Diptera: Ephydridae), IV: A Revision of the shore-fly Genus Hecamede Haliday, Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 541: 1-46

Mathis, Wayne N. (1995) Shore files of the Galapagos Islands, Annals of the Entomological Society of America 66(5): 627-640

Peck, Stewart B.; Heraty, John; Landry, Bernard; Sinclair, Bradley J. (1998) Introduced insect fauna of an oceanic archipelago: The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, American Entomologist 44: 218-237

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