Oreoleptidae is a family of

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 m ...

(insects in the order Diptera). The family was established in 2005 on the basis of the type species ''Oreoleptis torrenticola'' placed in the monotypic genus ''Oreoleptis''. The only known species was collected from the Rocky Mountains where the larvae grow in torrential streams. Larvae have also been found in groundwater wells. The larvae are similar to those of

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 known to be more closely related to Tabanidae. Species of At ...

and

Tabanidae Horse-flies or horseflies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. They are often large and agile in flight, and only the female horseflies bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in s ...

but with long crocheted false-legs (prolegs) arising from abdominal segments 2-7. The larvae have hollow mandibular hooks. The aberrant larvae had been collected in the past in the United States and considered as Athericids but entomologists had been unable to identify the adult stage until 2005 when adults were reared from larvae. The adults were found very similar to Pelecorhynchidae when identifying using the key in McAlpine's 1981 ''Manual of Nearctic Diptera'' but they stand apart due to the aedeagal tines and other male reproductive parts which indicate a clear similarity to the Athericidae and Tabanidae. The adults are dull grey with stylate antennae. The wing has cell r1 open. The name is said to be derived from Greek ''oreos'' (mountain) and ''leptos'' (thin, delicate). The proper word for "mountain" is ''oros'' () in ancient Greek.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.

References

External links

* Tabanoidea Brachycera families Diptera of North America {{Tabanoidea-stub