Heleomyzidae

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Heleomyzidae
Heleomyzidae Suillia sp.jpg
Suillia sp.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Section: Schizophora
Subsection: Acalyptratae
Superfamily: Sphaeroceroidea
Family: Heleomyzidae
Westwood, 1840
Subfamilies
Diversity
At least 80 genera
Mating behaviour of Suillia cf. bicolor on fungus
Tephrochlamys Tephrochlamys sp. (15360169746).jpg
Tephrochlamys
Eccoptomera longiseta Eccoptomera longiseta.jpg
Eccoptomera longiseta

The Heleomyzidae is a small family of true flies in the insect order Diptera. Over 740 described species of Heleomyzidae occur in about 76 genera [1] distributed throughout the world.

Contents

Description

Heleomyzids are small to medium-sized flies which vary in colour from yellow to reddish yellow or reddish brown to black. The wings often have small but distinctly longer, well-spaced spines mixed with the shorter spines along the leading edge and the crossveins are often clouded.

Taxonomy

Over 740 described species of Heleomyzidae occur in about 76 genera [1] and 22 tribes distributed throughout the world; the greatest number occur in the Holarctic region. Around 100 species of Heleomyzidae are found in North America. Most of the subfamilies have been commonly recognized as families in the past, but are now included within the Heleomyzidae. [2] The composition and monophyly of the family continues to be controversial. McAlpine [3] recently combined Heleomyzidae and Sphaeroceridae into Heteromyzidae, but this arrangement has not been widely accepted.

Ecology

Adults of Borboroides and Heleomicra are attracted to carcasses and faeces. Larvae feed on decaying plant and animal matter, mushrooms, and various fungi. The larvae of the Holarctic Suilliinae and Tapeigaster occur principally in fungi. Larvae of Cairnsimyia live in borer tunnels in trees.

Related Research Articles

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

The Piophilidae are a family of "true flies", in the order Diptera. The so-called cheese flies are the best-known members, but most species of the Piophilidae are scavengers in animal products, carrion, and fungi. They may accordingly be important in forensic entomology and medical entomology. For a fly maggot, the larvae of many species have an unusually well-developed ability to leap when alarmed or when abandoning their larval food to pupate; they accordingly may be known as cheese skippers or other kinds of skippers according to their food source.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acalyptratae</span> Assemblage of flies

The Acalyptratae or Acalyptrata are a subsection of the Schizophora, which are a section of the order Diptera, the "true flies". In various contexts the Acalyptratae also are referred to informally as the acalyptrate muscoids, or acalyptrates, as opposed to the Calyptratae. All forms of the name refer to the lack of calypters in the members of this subsection of flies. An alternative name, Acalypterae is current, though in minority usage. It was first used by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart in 1835 for a section of his tribe Muscides; he used it to refer to all acalyptrates plus scathophagids and phorids, but excluding Conopidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphaeroceridae</span> Family of insects

Sphaeroceridae are a family of true flies in the order Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly suborder Brachycera as can be seen by their short antennae, and more precisely they are members of the section Schizophora. There are over 1,300 species and about 125 genera accepted as valid today, but new taxa are still being described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sphaeroceroidea</span> Superfamily of flies

Sphaeroceroidea is a superfamily of flies. It includes the cosmopolitan families of Sphaeroceridae, Heleomyzidae, and Chyromyidae, as well as a few smaller groups. It has about 2,600 species.

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

The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and five subfamilies worldwide,. They are most diverse in tropical and subtropical habitats, especially in the Neotropical Region.

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

The Lonchaeidae are a family of acalyptrate flies commonly known as lance flies. 610 described species are placed into 10 genera. These are generally small but robustly built flies with blue-black or metallic bodies. They are found, most commonly in wooded areas, throughout the world with the exception of polar regions and New Zealand. Details of the distribution of genera and species by biogeographic realm are included in the World Catalogue of the family Lonchaeidae

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

The Curtotonidae or quasimodo flies are a small family of small grey to dark brown humpbacked flies (Diptera) with a worldwide distribution, but with very few species in the Nearctic, Australasian/Oceanian, and Palaearctic regions. Most members of the family are found in tropical to subtropical latitudes in Africa and the Neotropics. Many remain undescribed in collections, since little work on the family has been done since the 1930s.

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

Anthomyzidae is small, slender, yellow to black flies with narrow and elongated wings, which may have distinct markings. Some species have greatly reduced wings. Fewer than 100 species are known, mostly from Europe. Although they occur in all major regions, they seem to be most varied in the Holarctic region.

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

Clusiidae or "druid flies" is a family of small, thin, yellow to black acalyptrate flies with a characteristic antenna and with the wing usually partially infuscated. They have a cylindrical body. The head is round, the vertical plate reaches the anterior margin of the frons and the vibrissae on the head are large. The costa is interrupted near subcosta and the latter developed throughout length. Larvae are found in the bark of trees, the flies on trunks. The larvae are notable for their ability to jump. Males of many species in the subfamily Clusiodinae have been observed while engaged in lekking behaviour. There are hundreds of species in 14 genera found in all the Ecoregions, although most species occur in tropical regions. The type genus is Clusia Haliday, 1838.

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

The Coelopidae or kelp flies are a family of Acalyptratae flies, they are sometimes also called seaweed flies, although both terms are used for a number of seashore Diptera. Fewer than 40 species occur worldwide. The family is found in temperate areas, with species occurring in the southern Afrotropical, Holarctic, and Australasian regions.

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

Diastatidae are a family of flies in the order Diptera. They are encountered primarily in the Holarctic Region, but several species are found in the Oriental, Neotropical and Australasian regions. Members of the family number over 20 described species in three genera. There is an additional fossil genus.

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

The Platystomatidae are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea.

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

Platystomatinae is a subfamily of flies (Diptera) in the family Platystomatidae that includes 80 genera, the largest subfamily with at last estimate, c. 900 species globally.

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

Periscelididae is a family of flies.

<i>Schroederella</i> Genus of flies

Schroederella is a genus of flies in the family Heleomyzidae. There are about 14 described species in Schroederella.

Trapherinae is a subfamily of flies (Diptera) in the family Platystomatidae, which currently includes 11 genera.

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

Suilliinae is a subfamily of flies in the family Heleomyzidae. The two genera in this subfamily were formerly placed the subfamily Heleomyzinae, but they are now considered to make up a subfamily of their own.

<i>Tapeigaster</i> Genus of flies

Tapeigaster is a genus of medium to large sized flies in the family Heleomyzidae. Eleven species are currently described, all endemic to the temperate regions of southern and eastern Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 Pape, Thomas, Vladimir Blagoderov, and Michail B. Mostovski. "Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758." Animal Biodiversity. Magnolia Press, 2011.
  2. McAlpine, David K. "The Australian genera of Heleomyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) and a reclassification of the family into tribes." Records of the Australian Museum 36.5 (1985): 203-251.
  3. McAlpine, David K. "Review of the Borboroidini or Wombat Flies (Diptera: Heteromyzidae), with reconsider-ation of the status of families Heleomyzidae and Sphaeroceridae, and descriptions of femoral gland-baskets." RECORDS-AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM 59.2/3 (2007): 143

Identification resources

Palaearctic

  • Czerny, L., 1924. Monographie der Helomyziden. Abhandlung der Zoologischen-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 15(1): 1–166. Keys genera and species.
  • Czerny, L., 1937. Ergänzungen zu meiner Monographie der Helomyziden. X. Konowia, 16(2): 137–142.
  • Gorodkov, K.B., 1984. Family Heleomyzidae (Helomyzidae), 15–45.In: Soós Á. and L. Papp, (eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera, vol.10, Budapest.
  • Papp, T.,1978. Some cavernicolous Diptera of the Geneva Museum. Revue Suisse de Zoologie 85: 99–106.
  • Papp, T., 1998. Heleomyzidae. Chapter 3.41, 439–455. In: Papp L. and B. Darvas, (eds.), Contribution to a manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Vol. 3. 1998. Science Herald, Budapest, 880 pp.

United Kingdom

  • Collin, J.E. 1943b. The British species of Helomyzidae (Diptera). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 79: 234–251.

Nearctic

  • Gill, G.D., 1962. The Heleomyzid flies of America north of Mexico(Diptera: Heleomyzidae). Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum, 113(3465): 495–603. Keys genera and species.
  • Gill, G.D and B.V. Peterson, 1987.1989. Heleomyzidae, 973–980. In:McAlpine J. F., (ed.), Manual of Nearctic Diptera Vol. 2, Research Branch Agric. Canada, Monograph no. 28, IV + 675–1332. Keys genera and species.

Australasia

  • McAlpine, D.K., 1985. The Australian genera of Heleomyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) and a reclassification of the family into tribes. Records of the Australian Museum, 36: 203–251.

Taxonomic lists