The Apioceridae, or flower-loving flies, are a small (about 150 species) 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 ...

, all in the single genus ''Apiocera''. They occur mostly in dry, sandy habitats in the deserts of North America,

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

, and Australia. Other genera formerly placed in Apioceridae are now in Mydidae.

Diversity and biogeography

The roughly 150 species of ''Apiocera'' are divided into four subgenera, each restricted to a different continent. '' Apiocera'' is found in Australia, '' Ripidosyrma'' in southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, '' Pyrocera'' in North America, and '' Anypenus'' in

Biology

''Apiocera'' species are found in sandy, arid and semiarid habitats. Despite the common name, most ''Apiocera'' species never visit flowers, but rather are found running on the ground near sparse vegetation, or feeding on honeydew beneath

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white woolly aphids. A t ...

-infested plants. They are often seen drinking from damp sand with their sponge-like mouthparts. The

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. ...

e of '' Apiocera maritima'' are found in sand near the high-water mark of coastal beaches.

Species

This section contains a list of 138 species: *'' A. acuticauda'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. acutipalpis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. afacialis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. alastor'' (

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 ...

, 1849) *'' A. albanyana'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. aldrichi'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. aliena'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. alleni'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. ammophila'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. angusta'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. antennata'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. arena'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. arnaudi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. asilica'' Westwood, 1835 *'' A. asiloides'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. augur'' Osten Sacken, 1886 *'' A. aurelia'' Artigas, 1970 *'' A. auripilosa'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. australis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. badipeniculata'' Yeates, 1994 *'' A. barri'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. basivillosa'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. beameri'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. bibula'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. bigelowi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. bigotii'' ( Macquart, 1847) *'' A. bilineata'' Painter, 1932 *'' A. braunsi'' Melander, 1907 *'' A. brevicornis'' ( Wiedemann, 1830) *'' A. caboae'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. calida'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. caloris'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. campbelli'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. canuta'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. cerata'' Paramonov, 1961 *'' A. chiltonae'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. chrysolasia'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. clavator'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. commoni'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. constricta'' Cazier, 1985 *'' A. contrasta'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. convergens'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. davidsonorum'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. deforma'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. deserticola'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. draperae'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. elegans'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. englishae'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. excepta'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. exta'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. fallax'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. fasciata'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. femoralis'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. ferruginea'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. fisheri'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. flabellata'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. foleyi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. franckei'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. fullerae'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. goerlingi'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. hamata'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. hardyi'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. haruspex'' Osten Sacken, 1877 *'' A. helenae'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. hispida'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. horticolis'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. immedia'' Hardy, 1940 *'' A. imminuta'' Hardy, 1940 *'' A. infinita'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. interrupta'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. intonsa'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. latifrons'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. latipennis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. lavignei'' Cazier, 1985 *'' A. linsleyi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. longicauda'' Paramonov, 1961 *'' A. longitudinalis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. lugubris'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. mackerrasi'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. macswaini'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. maritima'' Hardy, 1933 *'' A. maxima'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. melanura'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. mexicana'' Cazier, 1954 *'' A. minckleyi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. minor'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. moderata'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. moerens'' Westwood, 1841 *'' A. monticola'' Artigas, 1970 *'' A. mortensoni'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. mulegeae'' Cazier, 1985 *'' A. newmani'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. nicholsoni'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. norrisi'' Hardy, 1940 *'' A. norrisiana'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. notata'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. oblonga'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. obscura'' ( Philippi, 1865) *'' A. ogradyi'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. omniflava'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. ordana'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. orientalis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. ornata'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. painteri'' Cazier, 1963 *'' A. pallida'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. parahydra'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. parkeri'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. pearcei'' Cazier, 1941 *'' A. philippii'' Brethes, 1924 *'' A. pica'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. picoides'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. pilosoris'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. powelli'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. pruinosa'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. pulcherrima'' Paramonov, 1961 *'' A. pulchra'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. reginae'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. rockefelleri'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. rubrifasciata'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. septentrionalis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. similis'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. sonorae'' Cazier, 1954 *'' A. spectabilis'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. striativentris'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. swani'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. sylvestris'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. tonnoiri'' Norris, 1936 *'' A. trimaculata'' Painter, 1936 *'' A. tropica'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. unicolor'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. varia'' Cazier, 1985 *'' A. vespera'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. victoriae'' Paramonov, 1953 *'' A. volucra'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. voragocolis'' Cazier, 1982 *'' A. vulpes'' Hermann, 1909 *'' A. warneri'' Cazier, 1985 *'' A. wilcoxi'' Cazier, 1982

References

External links

*
Apioceridae from Brisbane
2009-10-25)
www.mydidae.tdvia.de
Website von Torsten Dikow (in English)
Torsten Dikow: New insight on the phylogenetic relationships within Mydidae and its relationship to ApioceridaeRobert A. Cannings: A review of the distribution and natural history of ''Apiocera barri'' and ''Nemomydas pantherinus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5318516 Asiloidea genera Asiloidea