Lonchaeidae

Taxobox
name = Lonchaeidae


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Hexapoda
classis = Insecta
subclassis = Pterygota
infraclassis = Neoptera
superordo = Endopterygota|
ordo = Diptera
subordo = Brachycera
infraordo = Muscomorpha
zoosectio = Schizophora
zoosubsectio = Acalyptratae
superfamilia = Tephritoidea
familia = Lonchaeidae
familia_authority = Loew, 1861
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Chaetolonchaea"
"Dasiops"
"Earomyia"
"Lamprolonchaea"
"Lonchaea"
"Neosilba"
"Protearomyia"
"Setisquamalonchaea"
"Silba"

Lonchaeidae is a family of acalyptrate flies commonly known as lance flies. There are about 500 described species in 9 genera. These are generally small but robustly built flies with blue-black or metallic bodies. They are found, mainly in wooded areas, throughout the world with the exception of polar regions and New Zealand.

The larvae are mostly phytophagous, feeding on already damaged plant tissues, although coprophagous, mycophagous, saprophagous and predatory species are known.

List of genera

A list of genera of Lonchaeidae with approximate number of extant species

*Subfamily Dasiopinae
**Genus "Dasiops" Rondani 1856, (Sometimes mis-spelt "Dasyops") 126 species
*Subfamily Lonchaeinae
**Genus "Chaetolonchaea" Czerny 1934, 7 species
**Genus "Earomyia" Zetterstedt 1842, 22 species
**Genus "Lamprolonchaea" Bezzi 1920, (Sometimes mis-spelt "Lamprolonchea") 19 species
**Genus "Lonchaea" Fallen 1820, 209 species
**Genus "Neosilba" McAlpine 1982, 18 species
**Genus "Protearomyia" McAlpine 1962, 6 species
**Genus "Setisquamalonchaea" Morge 1963, 4 species
**Genus "Silba" MacQuart, 1851, 89 species

Image Gallery

[http://www.diptera.info/photogallery.php?album_id=24 Images from Diptera.info]

References

* [http://www.mallochsociety.org.uk/index.php?sn=ff&ssn=bi&id=148 Genus descriptions]
* [http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/lonchaeidae.html] [http://delta-intkey.com/britin/dip/www/lonchaei.htm] - Family descriptions