Hybotidae

"Dance fly" and "dance flies" redirect here. This term is also used for some Empididae.

Hybotidae
Bicellaria spuria (Ocydromiinae: Bicellariini)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Brachycera
Superfamily:	Empidoidea
Family:	Hybotidae
Subfamilies
Hybotinae Ocydromiinae Tachydromiinae Trichininae (disputed)

Hybotidae, the typical dance flies are a family of true flies. They belong to the superfamily Empidoidea and were formerly included in the Empididae as a subfamily.

Some, such as Tachydromia, are predators that run around on the bark of trees in complex pattern, hence the common name. Tachydromia species are only about three millimeters long.

Systematics

The Hybotidae clearly form a lineage quite distinct from the Empididae. Among the Empidoidea, they represent a lineage more basal than the main radiation of Empididae and Dolichopodidae, though they are not as ancient as the genera placed in the Atelestidae.^[1]

By and large, the Hybotidae are monophyletic. Among its subfamilies, the Hybotinae and Tachydromiinae certainly represent clades. The status of the Ocydromiinae as a natural group is less clear, in particular whether the Trichininae should be included as tribe Trichinini or even in the Bicellariini^[2] or Oedaleini^[3], or whether they are more distinct and warrant recognition as a separate subfamily.^[4]

Systematic list

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The subfamilies with their tribes and selected genera are:^[5]

Hybotinae Meigen, 1820

Hybos culiciformis (Hybotinae)

• Genus Acarterus
• Genus Afrohybos Smith, 1967
• Genus Ceratohybos
• Genus Chillcottomyia Saigusa, 1986
• Genus Euhybus
• Genus Hybos Meigen, 1803
• Genus Lactistomyia
• Genus Lamachella
• Genus Neohybos Ale-Rocha & Carvalho, 2003
• Genus Parahybos
• Genus Smithybos Ale-Rocha, 2000
• Genus Stenoproctus
• Genus Syndyas Loew, 1857
• Genus Syneches Walker, 1852

Ocydromiinae

Ocydromia glabricula (Ocydromiinae: Ocydromiini)

• Tribe Bicellariini Bradley^{[verification needed]}, Sinclair & Cumming, 2006
  • Genus Bicellaria Macquart, 1823
  • Genus Hoplocyrtoma
  • Genus Leptocyrtoma
• Tribe Ocydromiini
  • Genus Leptodromiella Tuomikoski, 1936
  • Genus Leptopeza Macquart, 1834
  • Genus Ocydromia Meigen, 1820
  • Genus Oropezella Collin, 1926
• Tribe Oedaleini Chvála, 1983
  • Genus Allanthalia Melander, 1927
  • Genus Anthalia Zetterstedt, 1838
  • Genus Euthyneura Macquart, 1836
  • Genus Oedalea Meigen, 1820

Trichininae (often included in Ocydromiinae)

• Genus Trichina Meigen, 1822^{[verification needed]}
• Genus Trichinomyia Tuomikoski, 1966^{[verification needed]}

Tachydromia arrogans or closely related species (Tachydromiinae: Tachydromiini)

Tachydromiinae

• Tribe Symballophthalmini Bradley^{[verification needed]}, Sinclair & Cumming, 2006
  • Genus Symballophthalmus Becker^{[verification needed]}, 1889
• Tribe Drapetini Collin, 1961
  • Genus Allodromia
  • Genus Atodrapetis Plant, 1997
  • Genus Austrodrapetis
  • Genus Austrodromia Collin, 1961
  • Genus Chaetodromia
  • Genus Chersodromia Haliday in Walker, 1851
  • Genus Crossopalpus Bigot, 1857
  • Genus Drapetis Meigen, 1822
  • Genus Dusmetina
  • Genus Elaphropeza Macquart, 1827
  • Genus Isodrapetis Collin, 1961
  • Genus Megagrapha Melander, 1928
  • Genus Micrempis Melander, 1928
  • Genus Nanodromia
  • Genus Ngaheremyia
  • Genus Pontodromia
  • Genus Sinodrapetis
  • Genus Stilpon Loew, 1859
• Tribe Tachydromiini

Tachypeza nubila with prey (video, 2m 23s)

• • Genus Ariasella
  • Genus Charadrodromia Melander, 1928
  • Genus Dysaletria
  • Genus Pieltainia
  • Genus Platypalpus Macquart, 1827
  • Genus Tachydromia
  • Genus Tachyempis Melander, 1928
  • Genus Tachypeza Meigen, 1830

Footnotes

1. ^ Sinclair & Cumming (2006), Moulton & Wiegmann (2007)
2. ^ E.g. Kahanpää
3. ^ E.g. ITIS (1996)
4. ^ Moulton & Wiegmann (2007)
5. ^ Chvála (1975, 1983), Sinclair & Cumming (2006)

References

"Hybotidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=136392. Retrieved June 21, 2008. 

• Chvála, M. (1975): The Tachydromiinae (Dipt. Empididae) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 3: 1–338.
• Chvála, M. (1983): The Empidoidea (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. II. General Part. The families Hybotidae, Atelestidae and Microphoridae. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica 12: 1–279.
• Kahanpää, Jere (ed.) (2007): Draft Catalogue of Finnish Flies (Diptera: Brachycera) - Hybotidae. Version of 2008-JUL-23. Retrieved 2008-JUL-30.
• Moulton, J.K. & Wiegmann, B.M. (2007): The phylogenetic relationships of flies in the superfamily Empidoidea (Insecta: Diptera). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 43(3): 701-713. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.02.029 (HTML abstract)
• Sinclair, B.J. & Cumming, J.M. (2006): The morphology, higher-level phylogeny and classification of the Empidoidea (Diptera). Zootaxa 1180: 1-172. PDF fulltext

External links

• Family description
• Images at Diptera.info
• [1] Key to UK genera