Athericidae

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Athericidae
Ibisia marginata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Tabanoidea
Family: Athericidae
Genera
  • Asuragina Yang & Nagatomi, 1992
  • Atherix Meigen, 1803
  • Atrichops Verrall, 1909
  • Dasyomma Macquart, 1840
  • Ibisia Róndani, 1856
  • Microphora Krober, 1840
  • Pachybates Bezzi, 1992
  • Suragina Walker, 1858
  • Suraginella Stuckenberg, 2000
  • Trichacantha Stuckenberg, 1955
  • Xeritha Stuckenberg, 1966
  • Athericites † Mostovski, Jarzembowski & Coram, 2003
  • Succinatherix † Stuckenberg, 1974

Athericidae is a small family of flies known as water snipe flies or ibis flies. They used to be placed in the family Rhagionidae, but were removed by Stuckenberg in 1973. They are now known to be more closely related to Tabanidae. Species of Athericidae are found worldwide. The adults mostly feed on nectar but some species feed on mammal blood.[1] Hematophagy has been demonstrated in adult Suragina and Suraginella and is suspected in other genera. The larvae have distinctive morphology; they have long abdominal prolegs with crocheted hooks. These structures help the larvae move without being washed away in their preferred larval habitat, fast flowing montane streams and torrents. The larvae are predators of other aquatic invertebrates such as caddisflies.

There are two subfamilies; Dasyommatinae contains only Dasyomma and all other extant genera are in Athericinae.

See also

  • List of soldierflies and allies recorded in Britain

References

  1. ↑ Stubbs, A. and Drake, M. (2001). British Soldierflies and Their Allies: A Field Guide to the Larger British Brachycera. British Entomological & Natural History Society. pp. 512 pp. ISBN 1-899935-04-5. 

External links


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