Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small

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

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 ...

. They get their name from the similarity of their often prominent

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

that looks like the beak of a

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/ camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a ...

Description

Rhagionidae are medium-sized to large flies with slender bodies and stilt-like legs. The mouthparts are

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

for piercing and many species are

haematophagous 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 ...

as adults, while others are

predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

y on other insects. They are typically brown and yellow flies, and lack

bristle A bristle is a stiff hair or feather (natural or artificial), either on an animal, such as a pig, a plant, or on a tool such as a brush or broom. Synthetic types Synthetic materials such as nylon are also used to make bristles in items such as ...

s. 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 are also predatory and are mostly

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

, although some are aquatic.Watson & Dallwitz Snipe flies in the genus ''

Rhagio ''Rhagio'' is a worldwide genus of predatory snipe flies. Several species in this genus are referred to as downlooker or down-looker flies because they sometimes perch on tree trunks in a head-down position. There are approximately 170 species. ...

'' are sometimes called "down-looker" flies after their habit of perching head-downward on tree trunks.

Classification

The family is contained in

Brachycera The Brachycera are a suborder of the order Diptera. It is a major suborder consisting of around 120 families. Their most distinguishing characteristic is reduced antenna segmentation. Description A summary of the main physical characteristics i ...

infraorder

Tabanomorpha The Brachyceran infraorder Tabanomorpha is a small group that consists primarily of two large families, the Tabanidae (horse and deer flies) and Rhagionidae (snipe flies), and an assortment of very small affiliated families, most of which have b ...

, and several of its constituent groups have been recently elevated to family rank. '' Atherix'' (and related genera) now comprise the Athericidae, ''

Vermileo ''Vermileo'' is a genus of wormlions in the family Vermileonidae. Species *'' Vermileo ater'' Stuckenberg, 1965 *'' Vermileo cylindraceus'' (Costa, 1844) *'' Vermileo comstocki'' Wheeler, 1918 (sierra wormlion) *'' Vermileo dowi'' Wheeler, 193 ...

'' (and related genera) now comprise the Vermileonidae, and the genera ''

Austroleptis ''Austroleptis'' is a genus of snipe flies, and the sole genus in the family Austroleptidae; until 2010, it was placed in the family Rhagionidae. They are small to moderately sized flies of around 3 to 7.7 mm. The family Austroleptidae was o ...

'' and ''

Bolbomyia ''Bolbomyia'' is a genus of snipe flies, and the sole genus in the family Bolbomyiidae; until 2010, it was placed in the family Rhagionidae.Kerr, P.H. 2010: Phylogeny and classification of Rhagionidae, with implications for Tabanomorpha (Diptera: ...

'' are each now the sole members of their own families (

Austroleptidae ''Austroleptis'' is a genus of snipe flies, and the sole genus in the family Austroleptidae; until 2010, it was placed in the family Rhagionidae. They are small to moderately sized flies of around 3 to 7.7 mm. The family Austroleptidae was o ...

and

Bolbomyiidae ''Bolbomyia'' is a genus of snipe flies, and the sole genus in the family Bolbomyiidae; until 2010, it was placed in the family Rhagionidae.Kerr, P.H. 2010: Phylogeny and classification of Rhagionidae, with implications for Tabanomorpha (Diptera: ...

List of subfamilies and genera

Arthrocerinae ''Arthroceras'' is a genus of snipe fly of the family Rhagionidae. ''Arthroceras'' are mid-sized to large , black, grey, or yellowish-colored flies that have a fairly long, tapering antenna consisting of 5–8 flagellomeres. Within Rhagonidae, th ...

Williston, 1886 *'' Arthroceras'' Williston, 1886 -

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

, Palearctic Chrysopilinae Bezzi, 1903 *'' Chrysopilus'' Macquart, 1826 - Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropic, Neotropic, Oriental *'' Schizella'' Bezzi, 1926 -

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

*'' Stylospania''

Frey Freyr (Old Norse: 'Lord'), sometimes anglicized as Frey, is a widely attested god in Norse mythology, associated with kingship, fertility, peace, and weather. Freyr, sometimes referred to as Yngvi-Freyr, was especially associated with Sweden a ...

, 1954 -

Rhagioninae Latreille, 1802 *'' Arthroteles'' Bezzi, 1926 -

Afrotropic The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

*'' Atherimorpha'' White, 1914 -

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...

Neotropic 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 ...

, Afrotropic *'' Desmomyia'' Brunetti, 1912 - Palearctic, Oriental *''

'' Fabricius, 1775 - Nearctic, Palearctic *'' Sierramyia'' Kerr, 2010 - Nearctic/Neotropic Spaniinae

, 1954 *'' Litoleptis'' Chillcott, 1963 - Nearctic, Oriental, Neotropic *'' Omphalophora''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany it can also derive from the ...

, 1900 - Palearctic, Nearctic *'' Palaeoarthroteles'' Kovalev & Mostovski, 1997 *'' Ptiolina'' Staeger in Zetterstedt, 1842 - Nearctic, Palearctic *''

Spania Spania ( la, Provincia Spaniae) was a province of the Eastern Roman Empire from 552 until 624 in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. It was established by the Emperor Justinian I in an effort to restore the western prov ...

'' Meigen, 1830 - Nearctic, Palearctic *'' Spaniopsis'' White, 1914 - Australasia *'' Symphoromyia''

Frauenfeld Frauenfeld ( Alemannic: ''Frauefäld'') is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. The official language of Frauenfeld is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic ...

, 1867 - Nearctic, Palearctic ''

Incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' *'' Alloleptis'' Nagatomi & Saigusa in Nagatomi, 1982 - Sulawesi

References

* * * *

External links

*
''Rhagio mystaceus''
Rhagio diagnostic photographs {{Taxonbar, from=Q587981 Brachycera families Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille

Description

Classification

List of subfamilies and genera

See also

Further reading

References

External links