Platypezidae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muscoidea

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Brachycera
Section:	Aschiza
Superfamily:	Platypezoidea

Families

   Phoridae - coffin and scuttle flies
   Opetiidae
   Ironomyiidae
   Lonchopteridae - pointed-wing flies
   Platypezidae - flat-footed flies

Platypezidae, or flat-footed flies, is a family of Diptera. They are found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats . There are about 250 species in 14 genera.

1 Biology
2 Family Description
3 Images
4 Identification (Literature)
5 Species Lists
6 External Links
7 References

[edit] Biology

Members of the Platypezidae inhabit forests. Larvae are fungivores. Adult males form aerial swarms before mating using trees or bushes as swarm markers. Some are attracted to wood smoke and wood ash. Adults may be found performing rapid erratic movements on broad leaves of both woody and herbaceous plants, evidently feeding on surface deposits.

[edit] Family Description

See [1]

[edit] Images

[edit] Identification (Literature)

Chandler, P.J. , 2001. The Flat-footed flies (Opetiidae and Platypezidae) of Europe, volume 36 of Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica.VSP International Science Publishers
Chandler, P.J. ,1994 The Oriental and Australasian species of Platypezidae (Diptera) Invertebrate taxonomy (Invertebr. taxon.) vol. 8, no2, pp. 351-434 (1 p.3/4) ISSN 0818-0164
Kessel, E.L. & J.R. Clopton 1969. The Platypezidae of the Oriental zoogeographic region and islands to the east, with descriptions of four new species (Diptera). Wasmann J. Biol. 27: 25-73. (15 August)
Kessel, E.L. & E.A. Maggioncalda 1968. A revision of the genera of Platypezidae, with the description of five new genera, and consideration of phylogeny, circumversion, and hypopygia. (Diptera). Wasmann J. Biol. 26: 33-106. (18 July)
Kessel, E.L. and Clopton, J.R. (1970) The Platypezidae of the Ethiopian Zoogeographic Region, with Descriptions of New Species and a New Genus (Diptera). Wasmann Journal Biology. 28(1):47-167. San Francisco, USA.