Archocyrtus

Archocyrtus; Temporal range: Callovian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Acroceridae
Subfamily:	† Archocyrtinae ; Ussatchov, 1968
Genus:	† Archocyrtus ; Ussatchov, 1968
Type species
	†Archocyrtus gibbosus; Ussatchov, 1968
Species
	†A. gibbosus; †A. kovalevi;
Synonyms
	JuracyrtusNartshuk, 1996

Last updated September 16, 2023

Archocyrtus is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. The genus is known from compression fossils from the Late Jurassic Karabastau Formation of Kazakhstan.^[1] The genus is the only member of the subfamily Archocyrtinae.^[3]

A study on the holotype specimen of Archocyrtus kovalevi was published by Khramov & Lukashevich (2019). They reported evidence of an extremely long proboscis, almost twice the length of the body of the insect. They suggested that it was probably a pollinator of extinct seed plants belonging to the order Bennettitales.^[4]

Species

Two species belong to the genus Archocyrtus:

†A. gibbosusUssatchov, 1968
†A. kovalevi(Nartshuk, 1996)^[2]^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common names are small-headed flies or hunch-back flies. Many are bee or wasp mimics. Because they are parasitoids of spiders, they also are sometimes known as spider flies.

Acrocerinae is a subfamily of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders, with the exception of Carvalhoa appendiculata which can develop as ectoparasitoids on their host spiders. Traditionally, the subfamily included the genera now placed in Cyrtinae and Ogcodinae, but the subfamily in this sense was found to be polyphyletic and was split up in 2019.

Philopotinae is a subfamily of small-headed flies. They have an arched body shape, as well as enlarged postpronotal lobes that form a collar behind the head. Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders in the subgroup Entelegynae.

Panopinae is a subfamily of small-headed flies (Acroceridae). Their larvae are endoparasites of spiders in the infraorder Mygalomorphae.

Ogcodes is a genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. About 90 species have been described for the genus.

Eulonchus tristis is a species of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae.

Cyrtinella is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. The genus is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene of Poland and Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It contains only one species, Cyrtinella flavinigra.

Glaesoncodes is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene, though the locality is unknown. It contains only one species, Glaesoncodes completinervis.

Schlingeromyia is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. The genus is known from Upper Cretaceous fossils in Burmese amber from Myanmar. It contains only one species, Schlingeromyia minuta.

Villalites is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene, though the locality is unknown. It contains only one species, Villalites electrica.

Burmacyrtus is an extinct genus of small-headed flies of uncertain placement. The genus is known from Upper Cretaceous fossils in amber from Myanmar. It contains only one species, Burmacyrtus rusmithi.

Archaeterphis is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene, though the locality is unknown. It contains only one species, Archaeterphis hennigi.

Eulonchiella is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene, though the locality is unknown. It contains only one species, Eulonchiella eocenica.

Hoffeinsomyia is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene of Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia. It contains only one species, Hoffeinsomyia leptogaster.

Prophilopota is an extinct genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from Baltic amber from the Eocene.

Quasi is a genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It contains only one species, Quasi fisheri, known only from Veracruz, Mexico.

Schlingeriella is a genus of small-headed flies. It contains only one species, Schlingeriella irwini, endemic to New Caledonia.

Sabroskya is a genus of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. It is known from South Africa and Malawi. It is named after the American entomologist Curtis Williams Sabrosky.

Cyrtinae is a subfamily of the Acroceridae. Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders in the subgroup Entelegynae.

Ogcodinae is a subfamily of the Acroceridae. Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders in the subgroup Entelegynae.

References

1 2 3 Gillung, Jessica P.; Winterton, Shaun L. (2017). "A review of fossil spider flies (Diptera: Acroceridae) with descriptions of new genera and species from Baltic Amber". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 16 (4): 325–350. doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1289566. S2CID 90493326.
1 2 Nartshuk, E. P. (1995). "A new fossil acrocerid fly from the Jurassic beds of Kazakhstan (Diptera: Acroceridae)". Zoosystematica Rossica. 4 (2): 313–315.
↑ Gillung, Jessica P.; Winterton, Shawn L. (2019). "Evolution of fossil and living spider flies based on morphological and molecular data (Diptera, Acroceridae)". Systematic Entomology . 44 (4): 820–841. doi: 10.1111/syen.12358 .
↑ Khramov, Alexander V.; Lukashevich, Elena D. (2019). "A Jurassic dipteran pollinator with an extremely long proboscis". Gondwana Research. 71: 210–215. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2019.02.004. S2CID 134847380.

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[GillungWinterton2017-1] 1 2 3 Gillung, Jessica P.; Winterton, Shaun L. (2017). "A review of fossil spider flies (Diptera: Acroceridae) with descriptions of new genera and species from Baltic Amber". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 16 (4): 325–350. doi:10.1080/14772019.2017.1289566. S2CID 90493326.

[Nartshuk1996-2] 1 2 Nartshuk, E. P. (1995). "A new fossil acrocerid fly from the Jurassic beds of Kazakhstan (Diptera: Acroceridae)". Zoosystematica Rossica. 4 (2): 313–315.

[Gillung2019-3] Gillung, Jessica P.; Winterton, Shawn L. (2019). "Evolution of fossil and living spider flies based on morphological and molecular data (Diptera, Acroceridae)". Systematic Entomology . 44 (4): 820–841. doi: 10.1111/syen.12358 .

[4] Khramov, Alexander V.; Lukashevich, Elena D. (2019). "A Jurassic dipteran pollinator with an extremely long proboscis". Gondwana Research. 71: 210–215. doi:10.1016/j.gr.2019.02.004. S2CID 134847380.

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