''Syringogaster'' is a genus of small (4 to 6 mm) ant-mimicking

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 ...

with a petiolate

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

, a long

prothorax The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ea ...

, a swollen and spiny hind

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

, and reduced head size and large eyes. There are 20 described extant species and two species known from

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 ...

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

from the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. It is the only genus in the family Syringogastridae.

Distribution

The genus ''Syringogaster'' are found in tropical areas of the

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

region, with exception of the

Antilles The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...

. Syringogastridae inhabit tropical forests.

Biology

Very little is known about the biology of Syringogastridae, and no

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e are known.

Classification

The descriptor Ezra Townsend Cresson placed his new genus in the family

Psilidae The Psilidae are family of flies. Commonly called the rust flies, at least 38 species are in four genera. The carrot fly (''Chamaepsila rosae'') is a member of this group. They are found mainly in the Holarctic. Description For terms see Morphol ...

then in 1969 Angelo Pires do Prado erected a new family (Syringogastridae) to contain the genus.Prado, A. P. do. 1969. Syringogastridae, uma nova familia de dipteros Acalyptratae, com a descricao de seis especies novas do genero Syringogaster Cresson. ''Studia Ent.'' (n.s.) 12:1-32.

Species

*'' S. amazonensis'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. apiculata'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. atricalyx'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. brachypecta'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. brunnea'' Cresson, 1912: *'' S. brunneina'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. carioca'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. craigi'' Grimaldi, 2009 (Fossil species) *'' S. cressoni'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. dactylopleura'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. figurata'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. lanei'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. lopesi'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. miocenecus'' Grimaldi, 2009 (Fossil species) *'' S. nigrithorax'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. palenque'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. papaveroi'' Prado, 1969 *'' S. plesioterga'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. rufa'' Cresson, 1912 *'' S. sharkeyi'' Marshall & Buck, 2009 *'' S. subnearctica'' Feijen, 1989 *'' S. tenuipes'' Marshall & Buck, 2009

References

External links

Syringogaster at EOL
image Diopsoidea genera {{Diopsoidea-stub