Acalyptrate Flies
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Acalyptrate Flies
The Acalyptratae or Acalyptrata are a subsection of the Schizophora, which are a section of the order Diptera, the "true flies". In various contexts the Acalyptratae also are referred to informally as the acalyptrate muscoids, or acalyptrates, as opposed to the Calyptratae. All forms of the name refer to the lack of calypters in the members of this subsection of flies. An alternative name, Acalypterae is current, though in minority usage. It was first used by Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart in 1835 for a section of his tribe Muscides; he used it to refer to all acalyptrates plus scathophagids and phorids, but excluding Conopidae. The confusing forms of the names stem from their first usage; ''Acalyptratae'' and ''Acalyptrata'' actually are adjectival forms in New Latin. They were coined in the mid 19th century in contexts such as "Muscae Calyptratae and Acalyptratae" and "Diptera Acalyptrata", and the forms stuck. The Acalyptratae are a large assemblage, exhibiting very diverse ha ...
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Sciomyzidae
The family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. Here, the Huttoninidae, Phaeomyiidae and Tetanoceridae are provisionally included in the Sciomyzidae. Particularly the latter seem to be an unequivocal part of this group and are ranked as tribe of subfamily Sciomyzinae by most modern authors, while the former two are very small lineages that may or may not stand outside the family and are provisionally ranked as subfamilies here. Whether the Salticellinae and the group around ''Sepedon'' warrant recognition as additional subfamilies or are better included in the Sciomyzinae proper is likewise not yet entirely clear. Altogether, the main point of contention is the relationship between the "Huttoninidae", "Phaeomyiidae", Sciomyzidae '' sensu stricto'', and the Helosciomyzidae which were also once included in the Sciomyzidae. Sciomy ...
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Scathophagidae
The Scathophagidae are a small family of Muscoidea which are often known as dung flies, although this name is not appropriate except for a few species of the genus ''Scathophaga'' which do indeed pass their larval stages in animal dung. The name probably derives from the yellow dung fly (''Scathophaga stercoraria''), which is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous flies in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Description For terms, see Morphology of Diptera. The Scathophagidae are medium-sized or quite small flies with a body length of 3.0 to 12.0 mm. The body is slender, especially in males, usually with an elongated, cylindrical abdomen. Many scathophagids appear more robust, however, due to a dense pubescence. Body colour body ranges from yellow to black; some species are glossy, but never with a metallic gloss. Some species are bicolored. The eyes are wide-set on the frons in males and females. The bristles on the head, thorax, and legs are well developed. The occip ...
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Tephritidae
The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus ''Drosophila'' (in the family Drosophilidae), which is often called the "common fruit fly". Nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly are categorized in almost 500 genera of the Tephritidae. Description, recategorization, and genetic analyses are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. The name comes from the Greek τεφρος, ''tephros'', meaning "ash grey". They are found in all the biogeographic realms. Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera anTephritidae glossary Tephritids are small to medium-sized (2.5–10 mm) flies that are often colourful, and usually with pictured wings, the subcostal ve ...
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Richardiidae
The Richardiidae are a family of Diptera in the superfamily Tephritoidea. This small family consists of just over 30 genera and 175 species. Almost all species are neotropical. Generally, the biology of the richardiids is little known. Some of the larvae are plant feeders or saprophages in decaying plant material. One species, the pineapple fruit fly '' Melanoloma viatrix'', has been reported as a pest of pineapples. Most adults have some general features, conspicuously pictured wings, often with metallic blue or greenish colors on the body and legs, and a typical tephritoid ovipositor. Genera *'' Acompha'' Hendel, 1911 *'' Antineuromyia'' Hendel, 1914 *''Automola'' Loew, 1873 *'' Batrachophthalmum'' Hendel, 1911 *'' Beebeomyia'' Curran, 1934 *'' Cladiscophleps'' Enderlein, 1912 *'' Coilometopia'' Macquart, 1847 *''Coniceps'' Loew, 1873 *'' Epiplatea'' Loew, 1868 *'' Euolena'' Loew, 1873 *'' Hemixantha'' Loew, 1873 *'' Johnrichardia'' Perez-Gelabert & Thompson, 2006 ...
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Pyrgotidae
The Pyrgotidae are an unusual family of flies (Diptera), one of only two families of Cyclorrhapha that lack ocelli. Most species are "picture-winged" (i.e., have patterns of bands or spots on the wings), as is typical among the Tephritoidea, but unlike other tephritoids, they are endoparasitoids; the females pursue scarab beetles in flight, laying an egg on the beetle's back under the elytra where the beetle cannot reach it. The egg hatches and the fly larva enters the body cavity of the beetle, feeding and eventually killing the host before pupating. In the United States, some species of '' Pyrgota'' and '' Sphecomyiella'' can be quite common in areas where their host beetles (typically the genus ''Phyllophaga'', or "June beetles") are abundant. Like their host beetles, these flies are primarily nocturnal, and are often attracted to artificial lights. Genera *''Acropyrgota'' Hendel, 1914 *'' Adapsilia'' Waga, 1842 *'' Adapsona'' Paramonov, 1958 *'' Afropyrgota'' V. Korneyev, ...
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Platystomatidae
The Platystomatidae (signal flies) are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea. Signal flies are worldwide in distribution, found in all the biogeographic realms, but predominate in the tropics. It is one of the larger families of acalyptrate Diptera with around 1200 species in 127 genera. Biology Adults are found on tree trunks and foliage and are attracted to flowers, decaying fruit, excrement, sweat, and decomposing snails. Larvae are found on fresh and decaying vegetation, carrion, human corpses, and root nodules, particularly in the genus ''Rivellia'', which has economic implications for legume crops. Larvae from the remaining genera are either phytophagous (eating plant material) or saprophagous (eating decomposing organic matter). Some are predatory on other insects and others have been found in human lesions, while others are of minor agricultural significance. Family description For terms see Morphology of Diptera Signal flies are very ...
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Piophilidae
The Piophilidae are a Family (biology), family of "true flies", in the Order (biology), order Diptera. The so-called cheese flies are the best-known members, but most species of the Piophilidae are scavengers in animal products, carrion, and fungi. They may accordingly be important in forensic entomology and medical entomology. For a fly maggot, the larvae of many species have an unusually well-developed ability to leap when alarmed or when abandoning their larval food to pupate; they accordingly may be known as cheese skippers or other kinds of skippers according to their food source. Overview The most notorious member of the family is the cheese fly, ''Piophila casei''; it is cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan, and a typical member of the family. It is a small species, about long. The fly's larvae infest cured meats, smoked or salted fish, cheeses, and carrion. The mature larva is about long and is sometimes called the cheese skipper because of its leaping ability - when ...
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Pallopteridae
Pallopteridae is a family of flies. The various species are collectively called flutter-wing flies, trembling-wing, or waving-wing flies, because of the striking vibration of the wings in many species. Over 70 species in about 15 genera are found in the temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Biology Adults have been found on flowers and low-hanging branches in shady habits. Known larvae are phytophagous or carnivorous (some species preying on beetles of the families Cerambycidae and Scolytidae. One species is recorded as preying on larvae of the family Cecidomyiidae. Some have been found in flower buds and stems. Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and (at most) ... They are medium-sized or relatively small flies, ...
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Lonchaeidae
The Lonchaeidae are a family of acalyptrate flies commonly known as lance flies. About 500 described species are placed into 9 genera. These are generally small but robustly built flies with blue-black or metallic bodies. They are found, mainly in wooded areas, throughout the world with the exception of polar regions and New Zealand. Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera. The Lonchaeids are small flies with a black or blackish-blue body, which is often metallic, glossy, and with hyaline (lacking dark spots) wings. The head is hemispherical (shorter than high) and the lunule is well defined. The third antennal segment is usually elongated and the antennae are decumbent. Ocelli are present and the postocellar bristles are divergent. The frons is narrow in males; in females it is broad. One pair of orbital bristles is on the head. The postvertical bristles on the head are parallel or weakly divergent. Distinctive vibrissae on the head are lacking, but vibrissa-like brist ...
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Ctenostylidae
The enigmatic fly family Ctenostylidae is a small group of very rare flies formerly included in the family Pyrgotidae (as the subfamily "Lochmostyliinae"); the principal reason for their inclusion in the Pyrgotidae was the absence of ocelli, a feature originally thought to be a unique defining feature ("autapomorphy") of the Pyrgotidae. Subsequent careful analysis has revealed that this anatomical feature shared with Pyrgotidae may not be indicative of a close relationship, and even the inclusion of Ctenostylidae within the superfamily Tephritoidea was cast into doubt, leaving this as the only family of Acalyptratae presently unassignable to superfamily.McAlpine, D.K. (1989) The taxonomic position of the Ctenostylidae (= Lochmostyliinae; Diptera: Schizophora). Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz 84: 365-371 There are fewer than 20 described species in 7 genera in this pantropical family, all characterized not only by the lack of ocelli, but the lack of functional mouthparts, and unusual modifi ...
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Hematophagous
Hematophagy (sometimes spelled haematophagy or hematophagia) is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood (from the Greek words αἷμα ' "blood" and φαγεῖν ' "to eat"). Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious proteins and lipids that can be taken without great effort, hematophagy is a preferred form of feeding for many small animals, such as worms and arthropods. Some intestinal nematodes, such as Ancylostomatids, feed on blood extracted from the capillaries of the gut, and about 75 percent of all species of leeches (e.g., ''Hirudo medicinalis'') are hematophagous. The spider Evarcha culicivora feeds indirectly on vertebrate blood by specializing on blood-filled female mosquitoes as their preferred prey. Some fish, such as lampreys and candirus, and mammals, especially the vampire bats, and birds, such as the vampire finches, hood mockingbirds, the Tristan thrush, and oxpeckers also practise hematophagy. Mechanism and evolution These hematophag ...
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