Ephydridae

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Ephydridae
Hydrellia griseola 4.jpg
Hydrellia griseola
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Ephydroidea
Family: Ephydridae
Zetterstedt, 1837
Subfamilies and tribes [1]

Discomyzinae

  • tribe Discomyzini
  • tribe Psilopini

Ephydrinae

  • tribe Dagini
  • tribe Ephydrini
  • tribe Parydrini
  • tribe Scatellini

Gymnomyzinae

  • tribe Discocerinini
  • tribe Gymnomyzini
  • tribe Hecamedini
  • tribe Lipochaetini
  • tribe Ochtherini

Hydrelliinae

  • tribe Atissini
  • tribe Dryxini
  • tribe Hydrelliini
  • tribe Notiphilini
  • tribe Typopsilopini

Ilytheinae

  • tribe Hyadinini
  • tribe Ilytheini

Ephydridae (shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of insects in the order Diptera.

Contents

Shore flies are tiny flies that can be found near seashores or at smaller inland waters, such as ponds. About 2,000 species have been described worldwide, [2] including Ochthera.

The petroleum fly, Helaeomyia petrolei, is the only known insect whose larvae live in naturally occurring crude petroleum. Another notable species is Ephydra hians which lives in vast number at Mono Lake.

Hyadina pulchella note the patterned wings, wide mouth and (on upper side) plumose arista Hyadina pulchella.jpg
Hyadina pulchella note the patterned wings, wide mouth and (on upper side) plumose arista
Discomyza wing veins Discomyza wing veins.svg
Discomyza wing veins

Description

For terms, see Morphology of Diptera.

The flies are minute to small (0.9 to 7.0 mm), with black or gray colorations. Wings are sometimes patterned. Costa with two interruptions are present in first section, near the humeral cross-vein and again near the end of vein 1. The second basal cell is not separated from the discal cell. Arista are bare or with hairs on the upper side (plumose on the upper side). The mouth opening is very large in some species. The ratio of vertical diameter of eye and height of gena (face index) is widely used in identification of individual species.

Limnellia quadrata on Urtica video

Larvae

In the tribe Notiphilini the head is reduced to a cephalic skeleton, there are no anterior spiracles and the posterior spiracles are extended as spines. The other taxa have larvae similar to the Sciomyzidae, with the posterior spiracles at the apices of divergent branches from a common base. They may be differentiated by short thoracic segments (like the abdominal ones) and by the absence of a ventral arch linking the mouth hooks.

Identification

Habitats

Ephydridae occupy a diverse array of seashore and wetland habitats including hot springs, petroleum pools, salt pools, alkaline lakes, marshes. Imago are phytophagous, sometimes feeding on microscopic algae and bacteria (Paracoenia, Ephydra), or predatory (Ochthera, Ephydrinae). As larvae, many are phytophagous, grazing on aquatic plants (including cultivated rice), others are algal grazers or saprophagous. Larvae of Trimerina are predatory. Some species are an important food source for other animals. Others cause damage to agricultural crops. [3]

Larvae of some Ephydridae live in very unusual habitats. For example, Ephydra brucei lives in hot springs and geysers where the water temperature exceeds 45 degrees Celsius; some Scatella live in hot sulphur springs; Helaeomyia petrolei develops in pools of crude oil; and Ephydra cinerea, the brine fly proper, in pools with very high concentrations of salt. Some have public health significance being associated with sewage filter beds and septic tanks. Flies develop in moist soils or mine leaves of aquatic, subaquatic, and rarely dry soil (Hydrellia) plants. Flies are found near water along coasts, among aquatic vegetation and sometimes on water surfaces (Ephydra).

Species lists

See also

Phylogeny

   Ephydroidea   

  Curtonotidae

  Drosophilidae+Camillidae

 Ephydridae

 Diastatidaesensu lato

   Ephydroidea   

  Curtonotidae+Drosophilidae

  Campichoetidae

 Ephydridae+Camillidae

 Diastatidae

McAlpine (1989) [4] Grimaldi (1990) [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tephritidae</span> Family of fruit flies

The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila, which is often called the "common fruit fly". Nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly are categorized in almost 500 genera of the Tephritidae. Description, recategorization, and genetic analyses are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. The name comes from the Greek τεφρος, tephros, meaning "ash grey". They are found in all the biogeographic realms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonchaeidae</span> Family of flies

The Lonchaeidae are a family of acalyptrate flies commonly known as lance flies. About 500 described species are placed into 9 genera. These are generally small but robustly built flies with blue-black or metallic bodies. They are found, mainly in wooded areas, throughout the world with the exception of polar regions and New Zealand.

<i>Hydrellia pakistanae</i> Species of fly

Hydrellia pakistanae is a species of fly in the shore fly family, Ephydridae. It is known as the Asian hydrilla leaf-mining fly. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious aquatic plant hydrilla.

<i>Helaeomyia petrolei</i> Species of fly

The petroleum fly, Helaeomyia petrolei, is a species of fly from California, USA. The larvae feed on dead insects and other arthropods that become trapped in naturally occurring petroleum pools, making this the only known insect species that develops in crude oil, a substance which is normally highly toxic to insects.

<i>Ochthera mantis</i> Species of insect

Ochthera mantis, the mantis fly, is a shore fly. The species was first described by Charles De Geer in 1776.

<i>Nostima</i> Genus of flies

Nostima is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<i>Limnellia</i> Genus of flies

Limnellia is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ephydrinae</span> Subfamily of flies

Ephydrinae is a subfamily of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilytheinae</span> Subfamily of flies

Ilytheinae is a subfamily of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrelliinae</span> Subfamily of flies

Hydrelliinae is a subfamily of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

Ochthera anatolikos is a species of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

Ochthera tuberculata is a species of shore flies.

Mosillus is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

Ochthera lauta is a species of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

Hyadina is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<i>Discocerina</i> Genus of flies

Discocerina is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<i>Discomyza</i> Genus of flies

Discomyza is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<i>Lamproclasiopa</i> Genus of flies

Lamproclasiopa is a genus of shore flies in the family Ephydridae.

<i>Helaeomyia</i> Genus of flies

Helaeomyia is a genus of shore flies.

References

  1. ↑ Mathis, W.N.; Zatwarnicki, T. (1995). "World catalog of shore flies (Diptera: Ephydridae)". Memoirs of Entomology, International. 4: 1–423.
  2. ↑ Zatwarnicki T, Kahanpää J (2014) Checklist of the family Ephydridae of Finland (Insecta, Diptera). In: Kahanpää J, Salmela J (Eds) Checklist of the Diptera of Finland. ZooKeys 441: 339–346. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.441.7448
  3. ↑ Louis S. Hesler 1995 Bibliography on Hydrellia griseola Fallen (Diptera: Ephydridae) and review of its biology and pest status DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  4. ↑ McAlpine, J.F. 1989. Chapter 116. Phylogeny and classification of the Muscomorpha. In Manual of Nearctic Diptera. Vol. 3. Coordinated by J.F. McAlpine and D.M. Wood. Agriculture Canada Monograph, 32. pp. 1397–1518.
  5. ↑ David Grimald, 1990 A phylogenetic, revised classification of genera in the Drosophilidae (Diptera) Bulletin of American Museum of Natural History 1971-139
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