Abstract
Colombia has an imposing natural wealth due to its topography has many unique characteristics as a consequence of having Caribbean and Pacific shores, as well as sharing part of the Amazon basin and northern Andes mountains. Thus, many natural and biological features are due to the convergence of three biogeographical regions: Pacific, Andes and Amazonia. The Andean uplift created a complex mosaic of mountains and isolated valleys, including eleven biogeographical provinces (Morrone 2006). The Andes dominate the Colombian topography and cross the country south to north. There are three mountain ranges (Western, Central, and Eastern) with a maximum elevation of 5,775 m, and an average elevation of 2,000 m. The Magdalena and Cauca River valleys separate these ranges, that along with the Putumayo and Caquetá Rivers, the Catatumbo watershed, the Darién, Pique Hill, the Orinoquia Region (with its savannas), the Amazon region (with tropical rainforests), and some lower mountain ranges (Macarena and Chiribiquete), have generated the conditions for very high levels of endemism. This variety of conditions has resulted in an extremely diverse plant and animal biota, and in which 48% of the nation remains unexplored.
References
Albuquerque, D.O. (1968) 96B. Family Scatophagidae. In: Papavero, N. (Ed.), A catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. Museu de Zoologia (Universidad de São Paulo), São Paulo, 4 pp.
Amat, G., Andrade, G. & Fernández, F (1999) Insectos de Colombia, Vol II. Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales, Coleccion Jorge Alvarez Lleras Nº 13, Bogota, Colombia, 433 pp.
Amorim, D.S. (2009) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Scatopsidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 4, 1–18.
Amorim, D.S., Silva, V.C. & Balbi, M.I.P.A. (2002) Estado de conhecimento dos Diptera neotropicais. In: C. Costa, S.A. Vanin, J.M. Lobo & A. Melic. (Eds.), Proyeto de Red Iberoamericana de Biogeografia y Entomología sistemática PrIBES 2002. 1a. ed. Vol. 2. Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa, Zaragoza, pp. 29–36.
Amorim, D.S. (2012) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Rangomaramidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 21, 1–7.
Andrade, G., Amat, G. & Fernández, F. (1996) Insectos de Colombia, Estudios escogidos. Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales, Coleccion Jorge Alvarez Lleras Nº 13, Bogota, Colombia, 541 pp.
de Carvalho, C.J.B., Couri, M.S., Pont, A.C., Pamplona, D.M. & Lopes, S.M. (2005) A Catalogue of the Muscidae (Diptera) of the Neotropical Region. Zootaxa, 860, 1–282.
de Carvalho, C.J.B., Rafael, J.A., Couri, M.S. & Silva, V. (2012) 40. Diptera. In: Rafael, J.A., Melo, G.A.R., Casari, S. & Costantino, R. (Eds), Insetos do Brasil, Diversidad e Taxonomia. Holos Editora, Ribeirão Preto, pp. 701–743.
Coscarón, S., Coscarón-Arias, M.C. & Papavero, N. (2008) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Simuliidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 2, 1–90.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Greathead, D.J. (1999) World Catalog of Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae). Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, 756 pp.
Fernández, F., Andrade, G. & Amat, G. (2004) Insectos de Colombia, Vol III. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia, 602 pp.
Guimarães, J.H. (1971) 104. Family Tachinidae. In: Papavero, N. (Ed.), A catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. Museu de Zoologia (Universidad de São Paulo), São Paulo, 333 pp.
Hancock, G. & Amorim, D.S. (2009) Anisopodidae. In: Brown, B., Borkent, A., Cumming, J.M., Wood, D.M. & Zumbado, M.A. (Eds.), Manual of Central American Diptera. Vol. 1. NRC Research Press, Ottawa, pp. 341–345.
Morrone, J.J. (2006) Biogeographic areas and transition zones of Latin America and the Caribean Islands based on panbiogeographic and cladistics analyses of the entomofauna. Annual Review of Entomology, 51, 467–494.
Papavero, N. (2009a) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Pantophthalmidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 19, 1–11.
Papavero, N. (2009b) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Asilidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 17, 1–178.
Papavero, N. (2009c) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Mydidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 14, 1–31.
Papavero, N. & Bernardi, N. (2009) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Nemestrinidae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 7, 1–16.
Papavero, N . & Guimarães, J.H. (2009) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Cuterebridae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 11, 1–17.
Prado, A.P. & Papavero, N. (2009) Catalogue of Neotropical Diptera. Ropalomeridae. Neotropical Diptera, Ribeirão Preto, 13, 1–8.
Santos, C.M.D. (2008) Geographical distribution of Tabanomorpha (Diptera, Brachycera): Athericidae, Austroleptidae, Oreoleptidae, Rhagionidae, and Vermileonidae. EntomoBrasilis, 1, 43–50.
Smith, K.G.V. (1967) 39. Family Empididae (Empidae, Hybotidae). In: Papavero, N. (Ed.), A catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. Museu de Zoologia (Universidad de São Paulo), São Paulo, 67 pp.
Spencer, K.A. (1984) The Agromyzidae (Diptera) of Colombia, including a new species attacking potato in Bolivia. Revista Colombiana de Entomologia, 10, 3–33
Yang, D., Zhu, Y., Wang, M. & Zhang, L. (2006) World Catalog of Dolichopodidae (lnsecta: Diptera). China Agricultural University Press, Beijing, 740 pp.
Yang D., Zhang, K., Yao, G. & Zhang, J. (2007) World Catalog of Empididae (lnsecta: Diptera). China Agricultural University Press, Beijing, 599 pp.