Athericidae is a small

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

flies Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

known as water snipe flies or ibis flies. They used to be placed in the family

Rhagionidae Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small family of flies. They get their name from the similarity of their often prominent proboscis that looks like the beak of a snipe. Description Rhagionidae are medium-sized to large flies with slender bodies a ...

, but were removed by Stuckenberg in 1973. They are now known to be more closely related to Tabanidae. Species of Athericidae are found worldwide.

Ecology

The adults mostly feed on nectar but some species feed on

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

Hematophagy 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 pro ...

has been demonstrated in adult ''Suragina'' and ''Suraginella'' and is suspected in other genera. Larvae do not feed in the first instar; after first molting, they become predatory. Larvae typically prey on invertebrates or are saprophagous. The larvae have distinctive morphology. Their head capsule is well developed dorsally, and they have long abdominal

proleg A proleg is a small, fleshy, stub structure found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the order Lepidoptera, though they can also be found on other larval insects such as sawflies and a few other types of in ...

s 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 The caddisflies, or order Trichoptera, are a group of insects with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults. There are approximately 14,500 described species, most of which can be divided into the suborders Integripalpia and Annulipalpia on the b ...

. Adults have stout, tapered abdomens, slightly elongated legs, with aristate antennae. Males are sexually dimorphic with holoptic eyes. Adult athericids usually rest on the upper surface of leaves, near the streams from which they emerge, or more inland if they are looking for a blood meal. Athericids commonly stroke or palpate the surface of leaves, an action they share with the Tabanidae. All species deposit their eggs at one time and then die.

Subfamilies and genera

Two subfamilies are described; the Dasyommatinae contain only ''

Dasyomma ''Dasyomma'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae. Species *'' Dasyomma fulvum'' ( Philippi, 1865) *'' Dasyomma poecilogaster'' ( Philippi, 1865) *'' Dasyomma cinerascens'' ( Philippi, 1865) *'' Dasyomma abdominale'' Hardy, 1933 *'' Das ...

'' and all other extant genera are in the Athericinae. * Dasyommatinae **''

'' Macquart, 1840 * Athericinae **''

Asuragina ''Asuragina'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 n ...

'' Yang & Nagatomi, 1992 **''

Atherix ''Atherix'' is a genus of 'ibis flies' belonging to the family Athericidae, a small family very similar to the Rhagionidae (snipe flies). Species within this genus are present in most of Europe and also in the Nearctic realm. Species *'' Ather ...

'' Meigen, 1803 **''

Atrichops ''Atrichops'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 n ...

'' Verrall, 1909 **''

Microphora ''Microphora'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 ...

'' Krober, 1840 **''

Pachybates ''Pachybates'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 ...

'' Bezzi, 1926 **'' Suragina''

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1858 **'' Suraginella'' Stuckenberg, 2000 **''

Trichacantha ''Trichacantha'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 ar ...

'' Stuckenberg, 1955 **''

Xeritha ''Xeritha'' is a genus of flies in the family Athericidae 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 ...

'' Stuckenberg, 1966 **'' Athericites'' Mostovski, Jarzembowski & Coram, 2003 **'' Succinatherix'' Stuckenberg, 1974

Baltic amber The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

References

* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233727146_60_Diptera_Athericidae * http://www.waterbugkey.vcsu.edu/php/familydetail.php?idnum=7&show=1508&fa=Athericidae&o=Diptera&ls=larvae * http://www.periodico.ebras.bio.br/ojs/index.php/ebras/article/view/25/44 * http://bugguide.net/node/view/12756

External links

Catalogue of Life

Biolib
Brachycera families Taxa named by Brian Roy Stuckenberg {{Tabanoidea-stub