Two New Rare Ant Fly Species Discovered in India

In January 2026, researchers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu discovered two new species of extremely rare ant flies from India – one from a disturbed urban forest in Delhi and the other from the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu – highlighting the ecological importance of conserving both urban green spaces and biodiversity hotspots.

Key Points:

New Species Discovered: The two newly identified species are Metadon ghorpadei and Metadon reemeri, belonging to the subfamily Microdontinae (Syrphidae).
Unique Biological Behaviour: Microdontinae flies exhibit myrmecophily, a specialised behaviour where larvae live inside ant nests and feed on ant brood, making them extremely rare and difficult to detect.
Limited Indian Records: Prior to this discovery, only six species of the genus Metadon were known from India. Globally, out of 454 Microdontinae species, only 27 are reported from the Indian subcontinent.
Discovery in Urban Forest (Delhi): Metadon ghorpadei was found in the Northern Ridge Forest of Delhi, a fragmented and disturbed urban forest patch surrounded by roads and residential areas.