''Plecia'' is a genus of March flies (

Bibionidae Bibionidae (March flies) is a family of flies (Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adults flies being found ''in copula'', they h ...

) comprising many species, both

extant Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to: * Extant hereditary titles * Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English * Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...

and fossilised.

Species

Extant species

*'' P. acutirostris'' *'' P. adiastola'' *'' P. affinidecora'' *'' P. americana'' *'' P. amplipennis'' *'' P. aruensis'' *'' P. angularis'' *'' P. avicephaliforma'' *'' P. bicuspidata'' *'' P. bifida'' *'' P. bifoliolata'' *'' P. bisulca'' *'' P. boliviana'' *'' P. chinensis'' *'' P. crenula'' *'' P. curtispina'' *'' P. cuspidata'' *'' P. digitiformis'' *'' P. dileracabilis'' *'' P. dimidiata'' *'' P. duplicis'' *'' P. edwardsi'' *'' P. emeiensis'' *'' P. erebea'' *'' P. erebeoidea'' *'' P. forcipiformis'' *'' P. fulvicollis'' *'' P. hadrosoma'' *'' P. hamata'' *'' P. impilosa'' *'' P. intricata'' *'' P. javensis'' *'' P. lateralis'' *'' P. lieftincki'' *'' P. longifolia'' *'' P. longiforceps'' *'' P. lopesi'' *'' P. mandibuliformis'' *'' P. membranifera'' *'' P. multilobata'' *'' P. nagatomii'' *'' P. nearctica'' – Lovebug *'' P. obtusicornis'' *'' P. obtusilobata'' *'' P. oculastra'' *'' P. okadai'' *'' P. ornaticornis'' *'' P. patula'' *'' P. pellucida'' *'' P. persimilis'' *'' P. plagiata'' *'' P. propeforcipata'' *'' P. propria'' *'' P. protea'' *'' P. pruinosa'' *'' P. pudica'' *'' P. punctulata'' *'' P. ramosa'' *'' P. rhinigera'' *'' P. rostellata'' *'' P. rufangularis'' *'' P. ruficollis'' – Harlequin fly *'' P. rufimarginata'' *'' P. rufiscutella'' *'' P. rugosa'' *'' P. serrifera'' *'' P. spilota'' *'' P. stricta'' *'' P. tephra'' *'' P. tetrascolata'' *'' P. thulinigra'' *'' P. trifida'' *'' P. triquetra'' *'' P. trunca'' *'' P. xyele''

Fossil species

Many fossil species have been assigned to ''Plecia'' with ages dating from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of th ...

( Campanian) through the early

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

( Gelasian):Fossilworks ''Plecia'' 12 July 2021
/ref>

Cretaceous

*†'' P. myersi'' (Campanian,

Canadian Amber Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

, MB)

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), E ...

*†'' P. undans'' (

Thanetian The Thanetian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS Geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Paleocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Serie ...

, ArdTun head, UK)

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' ...

;Ypresian, Allenby Formation, Canada *†'' P. angustipennis'' *†'' P. canadensis'' *†'' P. elatior'' *†'' P. minutula'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. nana'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. pictipennis'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. pulchra'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. pulla'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. similkameena'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. transitoria'' (Allenby Formation) *†'' P. tulameenensis'' (Allenby Formation) ;Ypresian, Driftwood shales, Canada *†'' P. cairnesi'' ;Ypresian,

Horsefly Shales 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 su ...

, Canada *†'' P. avus'' *†'' P. curtula'' *†'' P. dilatata'' *†'' P. platyptera'' (Horsefly Shales) *†'' P. reducta'' (Horsefly Shales) ;Ypresian, "Mission Creek site", Canada *†'' P. kelownaensis'' ;Ypresian,

Oise amber Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 ...

, France *†'' P. parisiensis'' ;Ypresian,

Green River Formation The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the present-day Green River in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. The sediments are deposited in very fine ...

, USA *†'' P. akerionana'' *†'' P. dejecta'' *†'' P. pealei'' *†'' P. rhodopterina'' *†'' P. winchesteri'' *†'' P. woodruffi'' ;Priabonian,

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 ...

*†'' P. borussica'' *†'' P. brunniptera'' *†'' P. clavifemur'' *†'' P. hoffeinsorum'' *†'' P. prisca'' *†'' P. tenuicornis'' ;Priabonian, France *†'' P. angustiventris'' ( Célas site, France) *†'' P. chapuisii'' *†'' P. dumasi'' *†'' P. foersteri'' ;Pribonian, United Kingdom *†'' P. acourti'' (

Bembridge Marls The Bouldnor Formation is a geological formation in the Hampshire Basin of southern England. It is the youngest formation of the Solent Group and was deposited during the uppermost Eocene and lower Oligocene. Stratotype and occurrence The Boul ...

, UK) ;Priabonian, Florissant Formation, USA *†'' P. axeliana'' *†'' P. decapitata'' *†'' P. explanata'' *†'' P. gradata'' *†'' P. melanderi'' *†'' P. orycta'' *†'' P. tessella''

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

; Rupelian,

Brunstatt Brunstatt (; Alsatian: ''Brunscht'') is a former commune in the Haut-Rhin department in north-eastern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune Brunstatt-Didenheim.P. gracillima'' ;Rupelian,

Corent Corent is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. It sits approximately 2 miles north of Les Martres-de-Veyre on the side of the old volcanic Puy de Corent. In 2001 excavation began on a Gallic (Celt ...

, France *†'' P. joannis'' *†'' P. larteti'' *†'' P. longipennis'' *†'' P. pallida'' *†'' P. rubescens'' *†'' P. sauvagei'' ;Rupelian, Calcaires de Vacheres Formation, France *†'' P. assonensis'' *†'' P. larguensis'' *†'' P. maimensis'' ;Rupelian, Chadrat, France *†'' P. oustaleti'' ;

Chattian The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

, Niveau du gypse d'Aix, France *†'' P. livida'' *†'' P. painvini'' *†'' P. retracta'' *†'' P. rhenana'' ;

, Camoins-les-Bains, France *†'' P. theobaldi'' ;

Rott Formation The Rott Formation is a geologic formation in Germany. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oligocene. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Germany See also * Lists of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Europe The ...

, Germany *†'' P. collossea'' *†'' P. conica'' *†'' P. dubia'' *†'' P. exigua'' *†'' P. gracilenta'' *†'' P. grossa'' *†'' P. hypogaea'' *†'' P. inflata'' *†'' P. luctuosa'' *†'' P. luteola'' *†'' P. lygaeoides'' *†'' P. macrocephala'' *†'' P. morio'' *†'' P. pennata'' *†'' P. pinguis'' *†'' P. proserpina'' *†'' P. rhenana'' *†'' P. sturmi'' *†'' P. stygia'' *†'' P. winnertzi''

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

; Aquitanian,

Mexican amber Mexican amber, also known as Chiapas Amber is amber found in Mexico, created during the Early Miocene and middle Miocene epochs of the Cenozoic Era in southwestern North America. As with other ambers, a wide variety of taxa have been found as inc ...

, Mexico *†'' P. pristina'' ;

Burdigalian The Burdigalian is, in the geologic timescale, an age (geology), age or stage (stratigraphy), stage in the early Miocene. It spans the time between 20.43 ± 0.05 annum, Ma and 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). Preceded by the Aquitanian (sta ...

Shanwang Formation The Shanwang National Geology Park () is located in central Shandong province, People's Republic of China, about from Linqu County. It has an area of about . The Park is well known for its fossil bearing diatomitic deposits, one of only a few such ...

. China *†'' P. aculeolata'' *†'' P. bivalvula'' *†'' P. capitata'' *†'' P. diatoma'' *†'' P. fumosa'' *†'' P. gracilentula'' *†'' P. ludongensis'' *†'' P. platoptera'' *†'' P. rectivenia'' *†'' P. solaris'' *†'' P. spinula'' *†'' P. villosa'' *†'' P. vulcania'' ;Burdigalian, Kudia River site, Russia *†'' P. amagua'' *†'' P. obsitula'' *†'' P. kuznetzovi'' *†'' P. kudiella'' *†'' P. redempta'' *†'' P. refracta'' ;Burdigalian -

Langhian The Langhian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, an age or stage in the middle Miocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma and 13.65 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago) during the Middle Miocene.GeoWhen (2007) The Langhian was a ...

, Cypris Formation, Czech Republic *†'' P. quaesita'' ;Langhian, Chojabaru Formation, Japan *†'' P. kanetakii'' ;

Serravallian The Serravallian is, in the geologic timescale, an List of time periods, age or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the middle Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch/series (stratigraphy), Series, which spans the time between 13.82 annum, Ma and 11.63 Ma (m ...

, Radoboj Formation, Croatia *†'' P. bucklandi'' ;

, Oehningen beds Member ( Upper Freshwater-Molasse), Germany *†'' P. hilaris'' *†'' P. jucunda'' *†'' P. macilenta'' ;

Messinian The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the first ...

, Monte Castellaro, Italy *†'' P. baglii'' *†'' P. castellaroi'' *†'' P. pisaurensis''

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Piacenzian The Piacenzian is in the international geologic time scale the upper stage (stratigraphy), stage or latest age (geology), age of the Pliocene. It spans the time between 3.6 ± 0.005 year#SI prefix multipliers, Ma and 2.588 ± 0.005 Ma (million yea ...
, Togo Formation, Japan *†'' P. intima''

Pleistocene

;Gelasian, Lac Chambon, France *†'' P. brunneipennis'' *†'' P. vergnei'' Revision of the Bibionidae fossil record from the Oligocene of Germany by Skartveit and Wedmann (2021) included the redescription of a number of ''Plecia'' species. *''

Hesperinus heeri ''Hesperinus'' is a genus of flies and the sole genus in the relict family Hesperinidae belonging to the nematoceran infraorder Bibionomorpha. There are about 8 known species, nearly all from the Palaearctic region with one each from the Nearcti ...

'' (formerly ''Plecia heeri'' and syn ''P. elegantula'' )

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q11995850 Bibionidae Nematocera genera Taxa named by Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann