Description
Procanace diannae is a newly described species, the first of its genus to be found in North America (Mathis 1988a).
Taxonomy - Wirth (1987) illustrates a typical canacid larva and puparium.
Potentially Misdentified Species - Flies of the genera Canacea, Paracanace, and Nocticanace are known from the shores of the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico (Mathis 1989).
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Hexapoda | Insecta | Diptera | Canacidae | Procanace |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Established | Unknown | Introduced | Regular Resident | Unknown-Marine | Unknown-Marine | Shipping(unspecified) |
History of Spread
The beach fly Procanace dianneae was newly described by Mathis (1988a) from specimens collected from the shores of the Potomac River estuary, at Westmoreland State Park, Westmoreland County VA in 1987. While this is a new species, the fact that it is the only North American representative of an otherwise Old World genus suggests that it is an introduction. Flies of the genus Procanace are found in freshwater and marine littoral habitats in the 'Afrotropical' region, in temperate eastern Asia to Japan, and in the Oceanian region (Mathis 1988a). The larvae are believed to feed on intertidal algae, while adult flies are found in shoreline areas where drift algae accumulates (Mathis 1888a; Mathis 1989).
Subsequently, specimens of P. dianneae were collected along Delaware Bay (DE), the western shore of Chesapeake Bay (VA), NC (Kure Beach, Brunswick County), SC (Cherry Grove, Horry County), and the Gulf coast of FL (Sanibel Island, Lee County) (Mathis 1989). The number of collections indicates that this species is established in the Chesapeake region. Mathis found this fly to be 'extremely abundant' at the NC site (Mathis 1989). This fly is also established in Cuba and Brazil (Mathis and Marinoni 2012).
Delaware Bay- Procanace dianneae was collected at two Delaware locations, Woodland Beach, in 2006, and the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal in 1992 (Mathis and Foster 2007).
Chesapeake Bay- Along Chesapeake Bay, after the initial collections at Westmoreland State Park, on the Potomac River in 1987, Procanace dianneae was found at at least 7 locations on the Western shore of the Bay, on Calvert Beach (MD, 1989), on the Potomac River at Dahlgren (2006), on Vir-Mar Beach, Northumberland Countyr (VA, 2004, Mathis and Foster 2007), on the Rappahannock River at Tappahannock (2004), on the James River at Maury Lake, York County (2006), and at the mouth of the Bay at First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach (2006) (Mathis and Foster 2007)
History References - Mathis 1988a; Mathis 1989; Mathis and Foster 2007
Invasion Comments
Invasion Status - 'The Chesapeake Bay is one of the busiest commercial waterways in the world, and I do not dismiss the possibility that this species, albeit previously unknown, was introduced in conjuction with the large volume of traffic on these waters' (Mathis 1988a). Discussing its rapid range expansion, Mathis (1989) states: 'Apparently this species dispersed rapidly along the East Coast after its introduction, perhaps similar to Brachydeutera longipes Hendel (Mathis and Steiner 1988; Ephydridae), or it has resided here for some time without being detected.'
Residency - The few flies of the family Canacidae which have been studied breed and develop on intertidal algae (Wirth 1987). Procanace diannae has been collected mostly near intertidal areas with abundant algae (Mathis 1988a; Mathis 1989).
Likely Vectors of Introduction - The larvae and adults of this fly inhabit marine littoral zones where they probably feed on attached and stranded algae. Thus, transport of flies with cargo or by other means on ships seems probable (Mathis 1988a).
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | ||||
| Salinity (‰) | ||||
| Oxygen | ||||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | meso-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 2.0 | 2.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | ||
| Typical Longevity (yrs |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
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| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
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| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
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| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
The beach fly Procanace dianneae has no known economic impacts in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
Procanace dianneae has no known economic impacts. However, the high densities of flies at locations such as fishing piers and beaches (Mathis 1989), might be regarded as unattractive by fisherman and beachgoers.
References- Mathis 1989
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
The beach fly Procanace dianneae appears to have been fairly abundant at the one Chesapeake location (Westmoreland State Park, Potomac River) where it has been reported (Mathis 1988a), and at other locations along the southeast Atlantic coast (Mathis 1989). However, ecological impacts of this fly are unknown.
References- Mathis 1988a
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
Interactions of Procanace dianneae with other introduced biota in the Chesapeake Bay region are unknown.