Milichiidae
Milichiidae | |
---|---|
Adult of a Paramyia species | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Diptera |
Section: | Schizophora |
Subsection: | Acalyptratae |
Superfamily: | Carnoidea |
Family: | Milichiidae Schiner, 1862 |
Subfamilies | |
Milichiidae are a
Affinities and appearance
The Milichiidae are a
Milichiidae are small-to-very-small flies, usually 1 to 3 mm in length. Typically they are black or at least dark. In some species, such as Milichiella argyrogaster, the abdomen of the male is silvery on its dorsal surface because of a covering of fine hairs.[6][7] The eyes of Milichiidae are often red, though this need not be obvious because many species of the flies are small and dusky. Though the proboscis is fairly long in most species, this is not obvious because it commonly is geniculate, having a knee-like fold in the middle that holds it inconspicuously beneath the head when the animal is not feeding. When it is looking for a place to feed on the prey of a spider or the like, the proboscis is extended, giving an impression of licking, as shown in the accompanying video. The abdomen is short and broad; it may be impressively distended after a large meal, as shown in the accompanying photographs.
Biology
The
Some species also have been recovered or reared from birds' nests and bat roosts, but reports of parasitism on birds' nestlings by Milichiidae should be interpreted with caution; at one time Milichiidae and Carnidae were not regarded as separate families, and it is not always clear how many of such reports refer to any species other than those that nowadays are included in the Carnidae and separated from the Milichiidae.[9]
Human commerce has inadvertently spread some species to all continents but Antarctica. Examples include members of the genera Desmometopa and Milichiella.[6]
The adults of some species linger close to invertebrate
The "jackal" habit has been widely documented, with many pictures and references to Millichiidae assembling on the prey of spiders (especially
A notable point is that spiders' meals can have various forms of significance in nature. For one thing, though they may be the most conspicuous of such partakers, the jackal habit is not unique to the Milichiidae, nor do all species in the family necessarily indulge in it, nor for all the same reasons. Certainly careful inspection of photographs of spiders' prey often will show a few specimens from other families of small flies present among the Milichiidae. Examples include Phoridae and Chloropidae.[13][15][16] The high frequency of Milichiidae around prey of particular species however, suggests that they are more highly adapted to such activities than most. However, this impression might be regional; reports on field work suggest that in parts of Florida for example, the predominant kleptoparasites were in the family Cecidomyiidae. However, dedicated investigation revealed an impressively wide range of visitors, including Ceratopogonidae and Phoridae.[14] The attraction of the aromas of feeding female spiders, and even of promising sites for female ambushes, also extends to male crab spiders Thomisidae of some species, but in their case the function of the attraction is likely to be reproduction rather than nourishment.[17][18][19] Most kleptoparasitic Michiliidae are females, the males presumably having a lower requirement for proteinaceous food; however, as inferred in from the apparent presentation of droplets of food from the proboscises of gorged females, it is possible that the presence of females at the spiders' meals might be reason for males to assemble as well.[14]
Another activity observed in some species of Michiliidae, shows them to be serving a function analogous to that of cleaner wrasse and cleaner shrimp; they literally scavenge around the chelicerae and anal openings of large spiders, such as species of Araneus and Nephila, that cooperatively spread their wet and sticky chelicerae thus allowing the flies to feed actively all over the bases, fangs and mouth.[20][21]
Some Michiliidae act in various roles as kleptoparasites of various ants.[22]
Selected genera
Subfamily Madizinae
- Aldrichiomyza Hendel, 1914
- Desmometopa Loew, 1866[23]
- Enigmilichia Deeming, 1981
- Leptometopa Becker, 1903
- Madiza Fallén, 1810[23]
- Paramyia Williston, 1897
- Stomosis Melander, 1913
Subfamily Milichiinae
- Eusiphona Coquillett, 1897
- Milichia Meigen, 1830
- Milichiella Giglio-Tos, 1895
- Pholeomyia Bilimek, 1867
- Ulia Becker, 1907
Subfamily Phyllomyzinae
- Borneomyia Brake, 2004
- Costalima Sabrosky, 1953
- Microsimus Aldrich, 1926
- Neophyllomyza Melander, 1913
- Paramyioides Papp, 2001
- Phyllomyza Fallén, 1810
- Genus Xenophyllomyza Ozerov, 1992
References
- ISBN 978-0-9558636-1-5.
- ^ ISSN 1319-562X.
- ^ Colless, D.H.; McAlpine, D.K. (1991). "Diptera (Flies); Chapter 39". The Insects of Australia. Vol. 2 (2nd. ed.). Melbourne University Press. pp. 717–786.
- ISBN 0-412-61390-5.
- ISBN 90-04-09026-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-409-10487-6.
- ^ Stackelberg, A.A; Acalyptrata, part 1 List of Diptera of the Leningrad Region. III Pages 103–191, 1958. (Reference found on: Brake, I. 2010: Milichiidae online, [1], accessed 2011.08.13)
- PMID 20562823.
- ^ Maa, T. C. (10 May 1968). "A new carnivorous fly, Camus orientalis, is described from a juvenile fish owl, in Malaya". Pacific Insects. 10 (1): 33–36.
- JSTOR 3496570.
- .
- ^ Holm, Erik, Dippenaar-Schoeman, Ansie; Goggo Guide; LAPA publishers (URL: WWW.LAPA.co.za). 2010
- ^ PMID 1896468.
- ^ .
- ^ Nentwig, W. (1985). "Obligate kleptoparasitic behaviour of female flies at spider webs (Diptera: Empidoidea: Microphoridae)". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 215: 348–354.
- doi:10.1303/aez.9.11.
- ^ Aldrich, J. R.; Barros, T. M. (1995). "Chemical attraction of male crab spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) and kleptoparasitic flies (Diptera, Milichiidae and Chloropidae)" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 23: 212–214.
- ^ Aldrich, J. R.; Barros, T. M. (1998). "Chemical Attraction of Crab Spiders (Araneae, Thomisidae) to a Flower Fragrance Component". Journal of Arachnology. 26: 117–119.
- S2CID 37806997.
- PMID 21594117.
- ^ McMillan, R.P. (1976). "Observations on flies of the family Milichiidae cleaning Araneus and Nephila spiders". Western Australian Naturalist. 13: 96.
- .
- ^ a b Brake, I.; Papp, L. (2009). "A peculiar new species of Madiza (Diptera: Milichiidae) from Tanzania" (PDF). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 55 (3): 227–234.