Wikipedia

Dolichopodidae

Dolichopodidae,thelong-legged flies,are a large,cosmopolitanfamily oftrue flieswith more than 8,000 describedspeciesin about 250genera.[6]The genusDolichopusis the most speciose, with some 600 species.

Dolichopodidae
Temporal range:Cretaceous–Recent
Chrysosoma sp.
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Infraorder: Asilomorpha
Superfamily: Empidoidea
Family: Dolichopodidae
Latreille,1809
Subfamilies

sensu stricto:

sensu lato:

Diversity[5]
About 250 genera, more than 8,000 species
Synonyms

Dolichopidae

Dolichopodidae generally are small flies with large, prominent eyes and a metallic cast to their appearance, though there is considerable variation among the species. Most have long legs, though some do not. In many species, the males have unusually largegenitaliawhich are taxonomically useful in identifying species. Most adults arepredatoryon other small animals, though some may scavenge or act askleptoparasitesof spiders or other predators.

Austrosciapus connexus—a typical example of green Dolichopodidae

Description

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For terms, seeMorphology of Diptera.

Dolichopodidae are a family of flies ranging in size from minute to medium-sized (1mm to 9mm). They have characteristically long and slender legs, though their leg length is not as striking as in families such as theTipulidae.Their posture often is stilt-like standing high on their legs, with the body almost erect. In colour most species have a green-to-blue metallic lustre, but various other species are dull yellow, brown or black.

The frons in both sexes is broad. The eyes are separated on the frons of males, except in some species ofDiaphorusandChrysotusin which eyes touch above the antennal insertion.[7]On the heads of most species the ocellar bristles and outer vertical bristles are well developed. The face of some species is entire; in others it is divided into two sections: the epistoma and the clypeus. The largest antennal segment is the third; in most species it bears a long arista, which is apical in some species, dorsal in others. In most species the mouthparts are short and have a wide aperture as an adaptation for sucking small prey.

The legs aregracileand the tibiae usually bear long bristles. In some genera the legs areraptorial.In some species the tibiae of the males have modifications.

Dolichopodidae wing veins. This is one major type, with M1bent and M2present, though often incomplete. In another type, M2is absent and M1more or less straight
Photograph of a Dolichopodidae wing, showing the R4+5vein[8]

The wings of most species are clear or tinged, but some species have wings that are patterned in strong colours or with distinct spots. There are three radial veins (R1,R2+3,R4+5). The medial vein M1+2is simple or rarely furcate, as in the genusSciapus.The anterior cross-vein is in the basal part of the wing. The posterior basal wing cell and the discoidal wing cell are always fused. The anal cell of the wing is always small. There are two veins branching from cross-vein DM-Cu in the direction of the wing margin; the upper one in some species curves strongly or forks into M1and M2.R4+5are simple, and costa ends near or at M1/M1+2,or continues along the wing margin. The point of origin of Rsis at or very close to h.[8]

Photograph of genetalia of a maleEmpis vitripennis.Note the asymmetrical tergite 8 on the left side of the epiandrium[8]
Condylostylus patibulatus

The abdomen is elongate-conical or flat. The genitalia of the male often are free and borne on a petiole, with tergite 8 being asymmetrical, lying on the left side of the epandrium. They are also rotated dextrally between 90° and 180°, including segment 8 and sometimes segment 7, which makes them distinguishable from the familyHybotidae.[8]Males of most species have well developed gonopods of two or three lobes on the distal margin of the epandrium. The gonopods may fuse with the epandrium in genera such asHydrophorus,ThrypticusandArgyra,or there may be a suture, as in the generaPorphyrops,XiphandriumandRhaphium.In some genera, such asHypophyllusandTachytrechus,the surstyli are well-developed as secondary outgrowths of the epandrium. In genera such asTachytrechus,there are two pairs of surstyli—one proximal and one distal. The hypandrium in most species is a small sclerite, which may be asymmetrical as in the generaPorphyropsandTachytrechus.Males of many species have highly developed cerci. Development of the phallus varies considerably between genera.

Dolichopodidae, cf. genusMedetera,typical of brown species inhabiting bark of damaged trees. Characteristic head-up, stilt-legged posture

Biology

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Adults of the Dolichopodidae live largely in grassy places and shrubbery. The flies occur in a wide range of habitats, near water or in meadows, woodland edges and in gardens. Some groups are confined to wet places including sands on the banks of water bodies; examples include genera such asPorphyrops,Tachytrechus,Campsicnemus,andTeuchophorus.No truly aquatic species have been described, but many are semi-aquatic and live in or near water margins. A small number of species develop on the shores of saline inland bodies of water or theintertidal zoneof seashores. An example of a species that develop close to water isP. nobilitatus,they can be found congregating around lakes and ponds. Other groups are found on trunks of trees damaged bybark beetles.Adults often are seen in a characteristic predatory posture standing high on their legs on the ground or on vegetation, tree trunks or rocks, and some species walk about on the surface of still water.

The adults are predators, feeding on small invertebrates includingCollembola,aphids,and the larvae ofOligochaeta.Species of the genusDolichopuscommonly prey on the larvae ofmosquitoes.

Thelarvaeoccupy a wide range of habitats. Many are predators of small invertebrates and generally live in moist environments such as soil, moist sand, or rotting organic matter. Genera such asMedeteralive as predators under tree bark or in the tunnels of bark beetles. Larvae of the genusThrypticusare unusual among Dolichopodidae, in that they arephytophagousand live in the stems of reeds and othermonocotsnear water.[citation needed]

Behaviour

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Foraging and nuptial behaviour ofPoecilobothrus nobilitatus(video, 2m 58s)
Long-legged fly mating behavior.

Many studies have shown that Dolichopodidae give visual, rather than chemical or other signals during courtship.[9] The males of many species exhibit elaborate secondary sexual characters assumed to aid in species recognition during courtship. These characters include flaglike flattening of the arista and tarsi, strongly modified setae and projections of the tarsi, the prolongation and deformation of podomeres, orientated silvery pruinosity, and maculation or modification of the wings.

Evolution and systematics

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KleptoparasiticMicrophor holosericeus(Microphorinae) feeding on captured prey of a spider

Dolichopodids are well represented inamberdeposits throughout the world and the group has clearly been well distributed globally, at least since theCretaceous.Together with theEmpididaethey are the most advanced members of theEmpidoidea.They represent the bulk of Empidoidea diversity, and include more than two-thirds of the knownspeciesin theirsuperfamily.

Taxonomic interrelationships within the Dolichopodidae, and their delimitation from the Empididae, are not yet satisfactorily resolved. It is likely that many of thesubfamiliescurrently within the Dolichopodidae will undergo drastic revision.[10]

An expanded concept of the family, Dolichopodidaesensu lato,includes the former family Micromorphidae as the subfamiliesMicrophorinaeandParathalassiinae,the latter forming a monophyletic group with the Dolichopodidaesensu stricto.[11]Alternatively, Grichanov (2011) proposes that Dolichopodidaes.l.should be treated as an epifamilyDolichopodoidae,containing Dolichopodidae, Microphoridae and the subfamily Parathalassiinae.[12]

Based on the most recent phylogenetic studies, the relationship between Dolichopodidae and other members of Empidoidea is as follows. The placement of Dolichopodidae is emphasized in bold formatting.

Atelestidae
Dolichopus ungulatus

Identification

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See also

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Sciapussp.

Footnotes

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  1. ^Grootaert, P; Meuffels, H.J.G. (1997). "Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from Papua New Guinea. XV.Scepastopygagen. nov. and the establishment of a new subfamily, the Achalcinae ".J. Nat. Hist.31(10): 1587–1600.doi:10.1080/00222939700770841.
  2. ^abYang, D.; Zhu, Y.; Wang, M.; Zhang, L. (2006).World Catalog of Dolichopodidae (Insecta: Diptera).Beijing: China Agricultural University Press. pp. 1–704.ISBN9787811171020.
  3. ^Bickel, D. J. (1987). "Babindellinae, a new subfamily of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) from Australia, with a discussion of symmetry in the dipteran male postabdomen".Entomologica Scandinavica.18:97–103.doi:10.1163/187631287X00061.ISSN1399-560X.
  4. ^Grichanov, I.Ya. (2018)."A new subfamily of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) for Tenuopus Curran, 1924 with description of new species from Tropical Africa"(PDF).Far Eastern Entomologist.365:1–25.doi:10.25221/fee.365.1.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 October 2019.Retrieved29 November2018.
  5. ^"Grichanov summary".
  6. ^"Summary of family by Grichanov".
  7. ^Robinson, H. and JR Vockeroth. Dolichopodidae. JF McAlpine Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 1981. 625–639. Research Branch Agriculture Canada Monograph 27 Ottawa.
  8. ^abcdWahlberg, Emma; Johanson, Kjell Arne (2018)."Molecular phylogenetics reveals novel relationships within Empidoidea (Diptera)".Systematic Entomology.43(4): 619–636.doi:10.1111/syen.12297.ISSN1365-3113.
  9. ^E.g. Zimmeret al.(2003), Irwin (2007), Vikhrev (2007)
  10. ^Sinclair and Cumming (2006), Moulton and Wiegmann (2007)
  11. ^Sinclair, Bradley J.; Cumming, Jeffrey M. (2006)."The morphology, higher-level phylogeny and classification of the Empidoidea (Diptera)"(PDF).Zootaxa.1180:1–172.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1180.1.1.ISBN978-1-877407-80-2.Archived(PDF)from the original on 3 March 2016.Retrieved20 December2011.
  12. ^Grichanov, I. Ya. (2011)."An illustrated synopsis and keys to afrotropical genera of the epifamily Dolichopodoidae (Diptera: Empidoidea)".Priamus Supplement(24): 1–98.

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toDolichopodidae.

Species lists

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