Characters for Identifying Common Families of Diptera 1 Brachycera

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Characters for Identifying Common Families of Diptera1 Brachycera

Stratiomyidae: Often patterned yellow and black, not bristly, but often with short dense pile (e.g., Odontomyia). Hexagonal cell in wing (cell d or dm); R4 and R5 end well before wing tip. Larvae are either aquatic (Stratiomyinae) or terrestrial (other subfamilies); larvae have deposits of calcium carbonate plates in the cuticle. Larvae are scavengers in decaying plant and animal material; some are predaceous or feed on root of grasses. Adults are found feeding on ﬂowers, especially on willow, hawthorn, composites, and umbels, or resting on vegetation.

Tabanidae: Antennal flagellum of distinctive shape and form, with large basal portion and terminal annulations. Head hemispherical. R4 and R5 “enclose” wing tip. Females of most species feed on blood of mammals and birds, but some feed on cold-blooded vertebrates; nonhematophagous species and males visit flowers. Some are important vectors of disease, including various bacterial, rickettsial, viral, and protozoan, and filarial diseases such as anthrax, tularemia, trypanosomiasis, filariasis. Transmission is usually mechanical. Fortunately in North America disease transmission by tabanids is absent. Larvae are aquatic or found in moist wetland soil, they are predaceous.

Rhagionidae (snipe ﬂies): Drab, with yellow or orange markings, without bristles, but with thin pile. 3rd antennal segment rounded, with long slender style; d or dm cell large, situated near center of wing. Some have patterned wings.

1 Images UMSP, www.diptera.info, Wikimedia Commons

1 Larvae are presumed to be predators and are found in rich organic soil, but food habits of adults are largely unknown.

Asilidae: Top of head hollowed out between eyes. Body varies from very hairy to nearly hairless and robust to slender, but face is usually bearded. Males and females are rapacious predators of other insects, including bees and wasps (Laphria, the “bee catchers"). They are usually found in open sunny areas. Larvae are poorly known and live in soil and rotting wood.

Bombyliidae: Hairy, bee-like; often with very long proboscis. R2+3 and R4 often sinuate. Adults are commonly seen hovering near ﬂowers where they feed on nectar. Larvae are poorly known, but those studied are parasitic on immature Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Neuroptera or prey on grasshopper egg pods.

Empididae (dance flies): Common, but difficult to characterize. Usually slender and long legged, the legs often modified for predation (raptorial or semi-raptorial). Proboscis usually elongate (also for predation). 3rd antennal segment usually rounded, with a long terminal style. r-m cross vein located beyond basal 1/4 of wing. Larvae are aquatic or terrestrial and little is known about their biology. Terrestrial species have been recorded in dung, soil, leaf litter, rotten wood, owl's nests, roots, and fungi. Aquatic species occur is aquatic mosses in flowing water or in thin surface films; they feed on simuliid larvae. Some larvae attack caddisfly pupae. Adults are also predaceous on swarming Diptera, emerging aquatic insects, including mosquitoes and blackflies, or insects trapped in spider's webs. Males present captured prey to females in ritualized courtship behaviors.

2 Dolichopodidae: Usually metallic green or coppery. Male genitalia folded under abdomen. Male often with modiﬁed foretarsal segments. Adults and most larvae are predaceous; some species prey on mosquito larvae. Most species are sensitive to cold and only appear in late spring or summer.

Lonchopteridae (spear-winged ﬂies): Wings long and pointed with characteristic venation: R2+3 and R4+5 long and straight with their apices converging at wing tip; few crossveins. These are very common ﬂies, but little is known about their biology. Larvae occur in leaf litter and plant detritus. Adults are common on riparian vegetation, woodlands, meadows and other humid habitats. Adults probably feed on nectar.

Phoridae (humpbacked ﬂies): Very distinctive. Often humpbacked. Major bristles characteristically feathered. Wing venation very characteristic, anterior veins thick, usually short, crowded forward, remaining 4 veins (M1, M2, CuA1, A1+CuA2) thin and weak. Hind femur may be enlarged. Adults and larvae are associated with decaying plant and animal material, including human corpses, carion, ﬂowers, seeds, bird and mammal nests, wasp, bee, ant, and termite nests, fungi, etc. Some are endoparasites of insects and spiders, others are associated with snails, and some are involved in myiasis. Adults are very active, with quick, jerky movements.

Pipunculidae (big-headed flies): Globose compound eyes covering almost entire head. Larval big-head flies are endoparasites of leafhoppers and planthoppers, especially Cicadellidae and Delphacidae, but little is known of their biology. Females hover over vegetation and snatch up immature leafhoppers. While in flight they insert their eggs between the abdominal membranes of the host. The larvae grow to fill their host.

3 Syrphidae: Wing with spurious vein. R5 cell (and frequently M2) closed. Many are mimics of Hymenoptera (bees and wasps) and may appear similar to bombyliid flies. Very common and abundant. Most species hover and visit flowers, making them significant pollinators of plants. Larval biology is diverse and includes species that live in ant nests, predators of aphids and other homopterous pests, fungal and detrital feeders, scavengers in the nests of social Hymenoptera, those living in dung and rotting vegetation, aquatic species found in tree holes or very enriched waters, with other aquatic species are found in clean water; a few species cause intestinal myiasis in humans.

Conopidae (thick-headed flies): Proboscis long, slender. Abdomen usually narrowed at base. Body shape and color characteristic, strongly resembling solitary wasps. Larvae are endoparasites of bees and wasps or of cockroaches and calyptrate Diptera. Females attack their prey in flight. Adults take nectar through their long proboscis while hovering at flowers, particularly members of the mint family.

Micropezidae (stilt-legged ﬂies): Legs long and stiltlike. R5 cell (formed by R4+5 and M1+2) narrowed or closed apically. Body shape characteristic; terminalia of both sexes turned downward and forward. Larvae feed on roots, decaying vegetation, and dung. Adults are usually found in moist habitats.

4 Diopsidae (stalk-eyed ﬂies): Stalklike process bearing eyes on sides of head. Antennae widely separated; scutellum with two stout tubercles. Sphracephala brevicornis is the only North American species. Adults hibernate and emerge in the early spring. Larve feed on rotting organic material. In Minnesota they are often associated with skunk cabbage (P. Clausen, pers. com.)

Ulidiidae (picture-winged ﬂies) : Some are metallic green, small. Wings often banded or patterned. Sc slightly curved at tip. Anal cell cup usually with an acute distal extension posteriorly. Biology is little known. Adults are frequently found in moist areas. Larvae are associated with decaying vegetation, manure, or under bark, where they are mostly saprophagous.

Pyrgotidae (pyrgotid flies): Head large and rounded, no ocelli in Nearctic species. Legs usually long. Wings usually strongly patterned with bands, bars, or spots. Larvae are endoparasites of adult scarab beetles. Females oviposit at night on their hosts while both are in flight. They can be important beneficial insects in controlling June beetles and other pest scarabs.

5 Tephritidae (fruit flies) : Wings often spotted or banded; may also be solid brown. Often brightly colored. Sc bent abruptly forward. Anal cell often with acute distal extension posteriorly. Larvae feed on living plant tissue, including leaves, roots, stems, fruits, etc., some are leaf miners or gall formers, including goldenrod stem galls. Many are important pests of commercial plants, including the apple maggot and the med fly, or are useful as biocontrol agents of weeds. Adults are common and found on flowers and vegetation.

Sepsidae (black scavenger flies): Small, usually shining black or dark purplish. Head rounded and abdomen usually narrowed at base (characteristic body shape - body somewhat antlike). Usually with a dark spot at wing tip. Forelegs of males modified for grasping females. (Photo: diptera.info) Sepsid larvae occur most commonly in dung and excrement, but are also found in decaying animal and plant matter. Adults flip their wings outward when walking.

Sciomyzidae (marsh ﬂies): Brownish-yellowish, with patterned wings. Antennae generally project foreward, often long. Femora well developed with characteristic seta. Larvae are exclusively associated with freshwater and terrestrial snails, or slugs and ﬁngernail clams. They feed on snails as predators, parasitoids, or scavengers. Females search out snails for oviposition.

6 Sphaeroceridae (small dung flies): Small, dark-colored flies. First tarsal segment of hind leg short, thick, second somewhat widened and longer. (Photos: diptera.info) Very common and abundant flies, associated with all types of decaying organic matter, including dung, carrion, rotting seaweed, mammal nests, fungi, etc., - even the dung balls of dung beetles!

Anthomyzidae: Small, slender. Fore femur with a strong ctenidial spine. Wing venation: with subcostal break only; cells bm and dm weakly separated; cup present; A1 straight, strong, not reaching wing margin. These are abundant ﬂies, often found in grassy marshes, where their larvae feed in grass and sedge stems.

Agromyzidae (leaf-miner ﬂies): Minute to small, dark or light colored. Postocellar bristles divergent; arista often long and pubescent. Wing venation: Costa with subcostal break; crossvein rm present, dm-cu present or absent, cell cup present, A1 not reaching wing margin. All agromyzid larvae feed on living green plants, usually as leaf-miners, but also miners in stems, twigs, seeds, and roots. Most are species speciﬁc and the form of the mine is characteristic. Some species are important pests. It is the largest family of acalyptrate muscoids.

7 Ephydridae (shore ﬂies): Often metallic. Distinctive bulging face. Foretibiae may be very large. Costa with both humeral and subcostal breaks, cup cell absent, CuA2, A1, A2 absent. Species are usually associated with aquatic or semiaquatic habits, but there is an extreme range of habitat types, including highly alkaline or strongly saline waters and natural pools of petroleum. They feed on ﬁne organic material or micro-organisms. Adults frequent the moist margins of aquatic habitats.

Drosophilidae (pomace ﬂies): Usually yellow with bright red eyes when alive. Costa with both humeral and subcostal breaks. Oral vibrissae well developed. Arista plumose. Larvae are generally associated with rotting fruit or other organic matter such as slime, fungi, ﬂowing sap, and rotting cacti, where they feed on micro-organisms especially yeast; some are leaf miners. Many species of Drosophila are used in research and this genus radiated into 100s of species on the Hawaiian islands.

8 Chloropidae (grass or flit flies): Small, bare, often brightly colored with yellow and black. Ocellar triangular well developed. Costa with subcostal break only; often with distinct flexure or "kink" along CuA1. These are very common flies that feed on a variety of items. Most are plant feeders and include some descrutive species found in the stems of wheat and barley. Others feed on insect frass and decaying vegetation or form galls. Some are predaceous and feed on aphids or the eggs of insects and spiders. Larvae of one species in Australia live under the skin of frogs! Adults are common among grasses and sedges; some are bothersome because of their attraction to the eyes and ears of people.

Hippoboscidae (louse ﬂies): Winged or wingless, with very characteristic body shape - dorsoventrally ﬂattened, with highly specialized mouthparts. All species are ectoparasitic blood feeders, mostly on birds, but also on mammals, including sheep (sheep ked). Eggs and larvae develop in the female uterus until maturity, where they are nourished by milk glands. The larva is then extruded, falls to the ground and forms a puparium immediately.

Oestridae (bot flies and warble flies): Medium to large flies. Very hairy, but without bristles. Minute to vestigial mouthparts. Some species resemble honey, carpenter, or bumble bees. The larvae of all oestrids are obligate parasites of mammals. Members of the vaious species occur on monkeys, rodents, rabbits, elephants, rhinos, cattle, deer, antelopes, pikas, camels, sheep, hippos, and kangaroos. Usually larvae are highly host specific. The African elephant hosts 5 different species! Larvae of most occur under the skin, but some are found in the gut or nasal passages. Females of the human bot fly from the Neotropics captures a female mosquito or stable fly and oviposits on her. When the biting fly feeds, the warmth of the host's body

9 stimulates hatching of the bot ﬂy eggs. The maggots, which also occur in cattle, enter the host to feed and develop udner the skin.

Anthomyiidae (anthomyiid flies): Meron without bristles. Wing venation: A1 reaches wing margin (as least as a crease-like fold); R4+5 and M1 parallell-sided. Scutellum usually with fine pale hairs on undersurface. Larval habits are varied, but include mostly plant feeders in stems, roots, flowers, and leaves or scavengers. Some live in burrows of solitary bees and wasps as well as rodent and tortoise burrows. A few are found along seashores where they feed on kelp and other algae; others are aquatic.

Muscidae (muscid flies): Meron without bristles. Wing venation: A1 never reaching wing margin; R4+5 and M1 parallell-sided or M1 bent forward to meet R4+5 apically. A large group found everywhere. Includes many important pests. The house fly, Musca domestica, is found in all types of rotting, putrid substances. Adults are known to vector typhoid fever, dysentery, anthrax, yaws (a tropical disease caused by a spirochaete, produces skin and mucous membrane lesions and later bone lesions), etc. The face fly, Musca autumnalis, is an important pest of cattle. Biting muscid flies (both sexes bite) include the stable, horn, and tse-tse flies; the latter vectors sleeping sickness in Africa.

10 Calliphoridae (blow ﬂies): Meron with row of bristles. Subscutellum absent. Abdomen and thorax usually metallic blue or green, palps orange yellow. Notopleuron with only 2 bristles. Most species are scavengers and are found in carrion, excrement, or other rich organic matter. Many act as mechanical vectors of disease, especially dysentery. Some species lay their eggs in the open sores of animals and humans where the larvae feed on the necrotic tissue. The screwworm ﬂy lays eggs in wounds or the nostrils of its host and the larvae feed on living tissue. Release of sterile males is used as a control tactic.

Sarcophagidae (ﬂesh ﬂies): Meron with row of bristles. Subscutellum absent. Scutum with three conspicuous black stripes on a gray background; usually hairy. Notopleuron usually with 3 or 4 bristles. Adults feed on nectar, sap, honeydew, etc. Maggots are usually found in decaying animal material, especially carrion. Others are parasitic on other insects while some occur in nest of bees and wasp and feed on nest provisions.

11 Tachinidae (tachinid flies): Meron with row of bristles. Subscutellum very well-developed, convex in profile. Usually very bristly flies. The second largest family in the order. The larvae are parasitic on other insects, especially Lepidoptera larvae, sawflies, and beetles, and are thus important biocontrol agents.