Biology of Decapitating Flies (Diptera: Phoridae) That Parasitize Ants of the saevissima Complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in South America.

flies (Diptera: Phoridae) parasitize individual ant workers, causing decapitation of the host during pupariation. Phorid flies that attack South American fire ants in the (Smith) complex are distributed across a wide range of habitats and climates associated with the geographical range of their hosts. Sympatric species sharing the same hosts often partition niche resources by season, active time of day, host size, and/or different host activities. They have the potential of being used for biological control of the imported fire ants in North America, Australia, and Asia.