The National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) is pleased to report the first confirmed record of the march fly Penthetria japonica Wiedemann, 1830 (Diptera: Bibionidae) from the Kingdom of Bhutan, as published in the Japanese Journal of Systematic Entomology.
The record is based on a male specimen collected from Thinleygang near Penzogyem Drupchu, Punakha Dzongkhag, at an elevation of 1,760 m above sea level, during fieldwork conducted on 4 October 2025. This finding represents the first reliable national record of the genus Penthetria from Bhutan, extending the known distribution of P. japonicainto the Eastern Himalayas.
The specimen was identified based on detailed morphological examination, including diagnostic characters of the wings, antennae, legs, and male genitalia. It has been deposited in the Invertebrates Repository of the National Biodiversity Centre, Thimphu, contributing to Bhutan’s national reference collection.
Members of the family Bibionidae are ecologically important, as their larvae are saprophagous and typically develop in decaying organic matter. Elsewhere in its range, Penthetria japonica larvae have been associated with cattle dung, suggesting a potential role in organic matter decomposition, soil nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. Given Bhutan’s extensive livestock-based agroecosystems, particularly in cool mountainous regions, this species may play a previously undocumented ecological role.
Full article at: https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjsystent/31/2/31_355/_article/-char/en
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