| Scholastinae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Platystomatidae |
| Subfamily: | Scholastinae Enderlein, 1924 |
Scholastinae is a subfamily of flies (Diptera) in the family Platystomatidae (Signal flies), which currently includes 14 genera.
The Platystomatidae were comprehensively divided into five subfamilies, [1] [2] but more recent reviews of morphology [3] [4] suggest that some aspects of this classification are unsatisfactory. This led to reducing the number of subfamilies to four, being the Plastotephritinae, Platystomatinae, Scholastinae and Trapherinae - Angitulinae being subsumed into Platystomatinae. [3]
Nonetheless, definition of the subfamily Scholastinae is still open to debate and requires phylogenetic confirmation. At present, genera assigned to the subfamily are considered as having the following subset of characters: fully developed calypters, tergite 5 much shorter than tergite 3 (especially in females where it may be absent), distiphallus terminating at the glans often with terminal filaments and tergite 6 in the female abdomen absent. [2] Although McAlpine rejected the use of the presence of an anepisternal (=sternopleural) seta, Whittington more recently continued to use it as it provides an additional character besides those given above, all of which are transitional to some extent in the other subfamilies of the Platystomatidae. [4] [5] In particular, head and genitalic morphology, and perhaps larval biology once more of this is known, should play a role in the definition of the subfamilies, the debate for which remains open. [3]
Three of the 14 genera in the Scholastinae are monotypic: Chaetorivellia, Pseudoscholastes and Tomeus.
Little is known of the biology of Scholastines. Adults have been taken on leaves of bananas - Musa Musa, rubber - Hevea Hevea, coconuts - Cocos Cocos, Xanthorrhoea Xanthorrhoea, Eucalyptus Eucalyptus and Macrozamia Macrozamia. [3] Habitats in which they are encountered range therefore from rainforest, dry forests, coastal forest, coastal heaths, and agricultural land. Larvae are sometimes associated with the sap runs of boring beetles, but the association is unclear and requires further investigation. [3]
Without doubt, the largest concentration of species of Scholastinae occurs in the Austalasian region. [3] The subfamily is entirely absent from the Americas and the Palaearctic. There are five genera known from the Afrotropical region, seven from the Oriental (five of which also occur in the Australasia region) and 12 from Australasia. Naupoda and Scholastes are the only two genera to be distributed across all three regions and Paryphodes is found in both the Afrotropical and Australasian regions.
The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects.
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.
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.
Canacidae, incorrectly Canaceidae, or beach flies, surf or surge flies, is a family of Diptera. As of 2010, 307 species in 27 genera. The family now includes Tethininae as a subfamily.
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.
The Coelopidae or kelp flies are a family of Acalyptratae flies, they are sometimes also called seaweed flies, though 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.
The Platystomatidae are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea.
The Helosciomyzidae are a small family of flies found exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. With the exception of the South American genus Sciogriphoneura, helosciomyzids occur only in Australia and New Zealand.
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.
Elassogaster is a genus of scavenger flies (Diptera) belonging to the family Platystomatidae. They are native to warm regions of Africa, Madagascar, Asia and Australia.
Tethininae, formally the family Tethinidae is a paraphyletic group of tiny drab-coloured or grey Acalyptratae flies. There are over 115 species in 7 genera known from all zoogeographic regions. They are inconspicuous flies which are still poorly known in some remote, huge, tropical areas.
Dasyrhicnoessa is a genus of beach flies in the family Canacidae. All known species are Afrotropical, Neotropical, Indomalayan, or Australasian-Oceanian in distribution.
Terelliini is a tribe of fruit flies in the family Tephritidae. There are at least six genera and about 104 described species in Terelliini.
Pogonortalis doclea, the boatman fly, is a species of signal fly. It is native to Australia and has been introduced to California in the United States.
Plastotephritinae is a subfamily of flies (Diptera) in the family Platystomatidae, which currently includes 18 genera.
Trapherinae is a subfamily of flies (Diptera) in the family Platystomatidae, which currently includes 11 genera.
Oeciotypa is a genus of flies (Diptera) belonging to the family Platystomatidae.
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.