Rhagionidae
Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small family of flies containing 21 genera.
Description
Rhagionidae are medium-sized or large flies with slender bodies and stilt-like legs. The mouthparts are adapted for piercing and many species are haematophagous as adults, while others are predatory on other insects. They are typically brown and yellow flies, and lack bristles. The larvae are also predatory and are mostly terrestrial, although some are aquatic [1].
Snipe flies in the genus Rhagio are sometimes called "down-looker" flies after their habit of perching head-downward on tree trunks.
Classification
The family is contained in Brachycera infraorder Tabanomorpha. Atherix Meigen (and related genera) and Vermileo Macquart (and related genera) are now separated from Rhagionidae as Athericidae Stuckenberg 1973 and Vermileonidae Nagatomi 1977.
- Alloleptis Nagotomi & Saigusa in Nagatomi, 1982 - Sulawesi
- Arthroceras Williston, 1886 - Nearctic, Palearctic
- Arthroteles Bezzi, 1926 - Afrotropic
- Atherimorpha White, 1914 - Australasia, Neotropic, Afrotropic
- Austroleptis Hardy, 1914 - Australasia, Neotropic
- Bolbomyia Loew, 1850 - Nearctic
- Chrysopilus Macquart, 1826 - Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropic, Neotropic, Oriental
- Desmomyia Brunetti, 1912 - Palearctic, Oriental.
- Litoleptis Chillcott, 1963 - Nearctic, Oriental, Neotropic
- Omphalophora Becker, 1900 - Palearctic, Nearctic.
- Ptiolina Staeger in Zetterstedt, 1842 - Nearctic, Palearctic
- Rhagio Fabricius, 1775 - Nearctic, Palearctic
- Schizella Bezzi, 1926 - Philippines
- Solomomyia Nagatomi, 1982 - Solomon Islands
- Spania Meigen, 1830 - Nearctic, Palearctic
- Spaniopsis Senior-White, 1914 - Australasia
- Spatulina Szilády, 1934 - Palearctic
- Stylospania Frey, 1954 - Philippines
- Symphoromyia Frauenfeld, 1867 - Nearctic, Palearctic
See also
References
Further reading
- Bezzi, M. 1928. Diptera Brachycera and Athericera of the Fiji Islands based on material in the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum (Natural History), London. viii + 220 pp.
- Lindner, E 1924-1925. Rhagionidae in Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region 4 (20) 1-49. ISBN 3-510-43016-6 Keys to genera and species.
- Stuckenberg, B., 1960. Diptera (Brachycera): Rhagionidae. S.Afr. anim. Life 7: 216-308 Keys to genera and species.
- Stuckenberg, B., 1965. The Rhagionidae of Madagascar (Diptera). Ann.Natal Mus. 18:89-170. Keys to genera and species.
- Leonard, M. D., 1930. A revision of the Dipterous family Rhagionidae (Leptidae) in the United States and Canada, Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 7:1-181.
- Malloch, J. R., 1932. Rhagionidae, Therevidae. British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Entomology [eds] Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile, based mainly on material in the British Museum (Natural History). Part V. Fascicle 3. - Rhagionidae (Leptidae), Therevidae, Scenopinidae, Mydaidae, Asilidae, Lonchopteridae. pp. 199-293.
- Nagatomi, A., 1982. The genera of Rhagionidae (Diptera). J. Nat. Hist. 16: 31-70.
- A. Nagatomi & K. Soroida (1985). "The structure of the mouthparts of the orthorrhaphous Brachycera (Diptera) with special reference to blood-sucking". Beitr. Ent. 35 (2): 263–368, 480.
- Kerr, P. H., 2004. Revision of the Genera of the Rhagionidae of the World (Diptera: Brachycera) (Ph.D. Dissertation, Digital Repository at the University of Maryland, 635 pp., size 41105Kb.
External links