The Tanypezidae, known as the “stretched-foot flies”, are small family of acalyptrate

Diptera 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 ...

(Schizophora, Brachycera). The 28 species are found mostly in the New World, divided between two genera: ''Tanypeza'' (2 species) is found in North America, with the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

(''T. longimana'' Fallén) extending into the Palaearctic, and ''Neotanypeza'' (26 species) is neotropical in distribution and includes one species known only from Dominican amber from 17–20 million years ago, ''N. dominicana'' Lonsdale & Apigian. This distribution contrasts that of its sister family, the

Strongylophthalmyiidae The Strongylophthalmyiidae are a small family of about 80 species of slender, long-legged flies, the majority of which occur in the Oriental and Australasian regions. They are divided into two genera, the monotypic Southeast Asian genus '' Nartshu ...

, which is mostly East Asian in distribution. The family was recently treated by Lonsdale (2013), who redefined the family and its genera, synonymizing all other neotropical tanypezid genera in ''Neotanypeza''. Lonsdale (2014) also provided a full catalogue for the family. Species of Tanypezidae are relatively large and have semispherical heads and stout bodies that are perched atop long, thin legs, the latter of which have sometimes allied them with the families

Neriidae The Neriidae are a family of true flies (Diptera) closely related to the Micropezidae. Some species are known as cactus flies, while others have been called banana stalk flies and the family was earlier treated as subfamily of the Micropezidae w ...

and

Micropezidae The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and five subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island).McAlpine, D.K. (1998 ...

. The head and thorax are also often very dark with contrasting silver- (sometimes golden-) haired stripes and spots. Furthermore, apical convergence of wing veins R₄₊₅ and M₁ occurs, and no vibrissae, setulae on the upper surface of vein R₁, and a large, flat ocellar disc behind the ocelli. Little is known of the biology of tanypezid species, but ''T. longimana'' is known from low vegetation in humid deciduous woodlands, often around running water.

References

External links

Family Tanypezidae at EOLDiptera.info
images
Wing venation
* World list Brachycera families Taxa named by Camillo Rondani Nerioidea {{Diopsoidea-stub