Diversity and zoogeography of Brachycera (Diptera) in disjunct grasslands of the southern Yukon

The diversity and zoogeography of Diptera (Brachycera) of disjunct xeric grasslands in the southern Yukon were studied. Over 20,000 flies were collected representing 32 families and 213 species. In terms of abundance, the predacious guild dominated (54% of total specimens) due mostly to the family Chamaemyiidae which represented 45% of all specimens. In terms of diversity, the phytophagous and parasitoid guilds were dominant (25.5% of total species each). The most diverse families were Agromyzidae (32 species), Chloropidae (31 species), Tachinidae (23 species) and Pipunculidae (20 species). Thirty-four undescribed species were collected and 58 species were recorded for the first time in the Yukon. Zoogeographic analysis indicates that the Diptera fauna of these grasslands is dominated by widespread Nearctic or Holarctic species, but the fauna also includes southern grassland species with disjunct distributions, and species endemic to Beringia. The presence of endemic and disjunct species suggests that these grasslands were present in Beringia during the Wisconsinan and acted as a refugium for grassland Diptera