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The subfamily Microdontinae contains slightly more than 400 species of hoverflies and, while diverse, these species share several characteristics by which they differ from other syrphids. The Microdontinae are myrmecophiles, meaning they live in the nests of ants. Larval Microdontinae are scavengers or predators in ant nests, and, in contrast to other syrphid larvae, have no readily apparent body segmentation. Some species also do not exhibit the typical adult flower-visiting behaviour of other hoverflies, but instead remain near their larval host colonies.
Afromicrodon is an African genus of hoverflies. The species of the genus Afromicrodon were previously and erroneously placed in the genus Ceratophya.
Archimicrodon is a genus of hoverflies. Many of the species in this genus were moved from Microdon by Reemer & Ståhls (2013). Previously, it had been described as having three known species.
Aristosyrphus is a genus of Neotropical hoverflies.
Chymophila is a subgenus of the hoverfly genus Microdon. It was previously considered to be exclusively Neotropical, but is now also known from the Nearctic and Oriental realms, and one species is known from Japan. Chymophila was based on a composite type species: the holotype is a body of C. fulgens with the head of a conopid glued on.
Hovamicrodon is a subgenus of the hoverfly genus Archimicrodon, endemic to Madagascar. Hovamicrodon is distinguished by a particular type of scutellar calcar, being broad and blunt apically.
Kryptopyga is a genus of hoverfly native to Java, containing two species.
Megodon is a subgenus of the hoverfly genus Microdon. It is native to Madagascar, and contains only two known species. Microdon stuckenbergi has an unusual scutellum. Larvae are found in ant nests.
Mixogaster is a genus of hoverflies native to North America and South America, with 21 known species. Mixogaster is distinct by lacking an appendix on vein R4+5, having a reduced and bare metasternum, an unarmed scutellum, and usually an appendix on vein M extending in cell R4+5. Larvae are found in ant nests.
Omegasyrphus is a genus of hoverflies, with five known species. These are small Microdontinae flies with a distinctive abdominal shape; the second segment is widened, flattened, and flared, with its lateral margin subcircular, thickened, and rounded, and the rest of abdomen narrowed and cylindrical. Larvae are found in ant nests. They are native to southern North America. The genus was previously treated as a subgenus of Microdon.
Paramicrodon is a genus of hoverflies, with eight known species. They differ from Microdon by their short antennae and the lack of appendices on vein R4+5.
Paramixogaster is a genus of hoverflies, with 25 known species. Paramixogaster has an appendix on vein R4+5 that is absent in Mixogaster.
Pseudomicrodon is a genus of hoverflies, with 14 known species. All are species with petiolate abdomens.
Ptilobactrum is a genus of hoverflies, with one known species, Ptilobactrum neavei. They have very broad heads and their basoflagellomeres are elongate and densely pilose in males.
Rhoga is a genus of hoverflies, with five known species. All are small, delicate, pale yellowish flies, with distinct black pilose brushes on their metatibiae. These flies are probably mimics of stingless bees of the tribe Meliponini.
Syrphipogon is a subgenus of the hoverfly genus Microdon. There are two known species. They are very large microdontine flies of about 25 mm. They have a deeply sulcate scutellum and a facial mystax. They are mimics of the large bees of the genus Eulaema.
Surimyia is a genus of hoverflies, with three known species. They are small microdontine flies. Surimyia is the only hoverfly genus with the katatergum lacking microtrichia. In the subfamily Microdontinae, they are distinctive in the absence of pilosity on the postpronotum.
Allobaccha is a genus of hoverfly with a large number of species. It was originally created as a subgenus of Baccha. Many species have an elongated wasp like abdomen and adults as well as larvae are predators of soft-bodied Hemiptera.
Metadon is a genus of hoverfly containing 43 species. Most of the species were originally described in the genus Microdon.
References
- ↑ Reemer, Menno; Ståhls, Gunilla (2013). "Generic revision and species classification of the Microdontinae (Diptera, Syrphidae)". ZooKeys (288): 1–213. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.288.4095 . PMC 3690914 . PMID 23798897.
- 1 2 Cheng, Xin-Yue; Thompson, F. Christian (2008). "A generic conspectus of the Microdontinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) with the description of two new genera from Africa and China" (PDF Adobe Acrobat). Zootaxa. 1879: 21–48. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1879.1.3. ISSN 1175-5334 . Retrieved 2009-09-11.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Thompson, F.C. (1974). "The genus Spheginobaccha de Meijere (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 100 (3): 255–287. JSTOR 25078156.
- 1 2 Thompson, F. Christian; Hauser, Martin (2015). "In Honor of Brian Stuckenberg: Two New Spheginobaccha Species of Flower Flies (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the Afrotropics". African Invertebrates. 56 (3): 769–777. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0318. S2CID 85980434 . Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ↑ Dirickx, H.G. (1995). "Le Genre Spheginobaccha de Meijere à Madagascar (Diptera: Syrphidae)". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 31 (2): 151–156.