| Sciapodinae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Sciapus platypterus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Dolichopodidae |
| Subfamily: | Sciapodinae Becker, 1917 |
| Genera | |
see text | |
| Synonyms | |
Chrysosomatinae | |
Sciapodinae is a subfamily of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. [1] [2] [3] Members of the subfamily possess several ancestral characteristics of the family, such as branched vein M1+2 in the wings (though M2 is absent or reduced in Mesorhagini) and a pedunculate hypopygium. Their heads also typically have a deeply excavated vertex (top of the head), giving them the appearance of a dumbbell when viewed from the front. [4]
Members of Sciapodinae are most diverse in South America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, South-east Asia and Australasia. The subfamily is suggested to have originated during the Early Cretaceous on the supercontinent Gondwana, which is supported by vicariant distributions in the genera Heteropsilopus , Condylostylus and Parentia . [4]