Nycteribiidae

Nycteribiidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Hippoboscoidea
Family: Nycteribiidae
Samouelle, 1819
Subfamilies

3, see text

Nycteribiidae of the true fly superfamily Hippoboscoidea are known as "bat flies", together with their close relatives the Streblidae. As the latter do not seem to be a monophyletic group, it is conceivable to unite all bat flies in a single family.[1]

They are flattened, spiderlike flies without eyes or wings, and are seldom encountered by general collectors, as they almost never leave the bodies of their hosts. Both males and females take blood meals, thus they qualify as real parasites. Most species are highly host-specific. The family is primarily found in the Old World tropics; a few of the 274[2] known species occur in the Neotropics and in Europe.

Genera

  • Basilia Miranda Ribeiro, 1903
  • Hershkovitzia Guimarães & d'Andretta, 1956
  • Nycteribia Latreille, 1796
  • Penicillidia Kolenati, 1863
  • Phthiridium Hermann, 1804
  • Stereomyia Theodor, 1967[2]

References

  1. Frederik Torp Petersen, Rudolf Meier, Sujatha Narayanan Kutty & Brian M. Wiegmann (2007). "The phylogeny and evolution of host choice in the Hippoboscoidea (Diptera) as reconstructed using four molecular markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45 (1): 111–122. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.04.023. PMID 17583536.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Gustavo Graciolli & Carl W. Dick (October 22, 2008). "Checklist of World Nycteribiidae (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea)" (PDF). Field Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2008.

Further reading

External links