Mythicomyiidae
 | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2023) ) |
| Mythicomyiidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Undescribed psiloderoidine genus from Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Brachycera |
| Infraorder: | Asilomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Asiloidea |
| Family: | Mythicomyiidae Melander , 1902 |
| Subfamilies | |
Mythicomyiidae, commonly called mythicomyiids, are very tiny flies (0.5–5.0 mm) found throughout most parts of the world, especially desert and semi-desert regions, except the highest altitudes and latitudes. They are not as common in the tropics, but genera such as Cephalodromia and Platypygus are known from these regions. Many of these "microbombyliids" have a humpbacked thorax (as in the Acroceridae) and lack the dense vestiture common in the Bombyliidae. Mythicomyiids have until recently not had much attention in the literature. Their small size has caused them to be missed when collecting. Yellow pan trapping and fine-mesh netting in Malaise and aerial sweep nets has resulted in a number of undescribed species from many parts of the world. A high diversity of both genera and species exists for this family in Africa, especially northern and southern portions. About 350 species are known (most in the genus Mythicomyia Coquillett). Hundreds more await description.
Because of their extremely small size and curious body shapes, some genera have been at times placed in the
Genera and subgenera
- Acridophagus Evenhuis, 1983
- Ahessea Greathead & Evenhuis, 2001
- Amydrostylus Lamas, Falaschi & Evenhuis, 2015
- †Borissovia Evenhuis, 2003
- †Carmenelectra Evenhuis, 2003
- Cephalodromia Becker, 1914
- Cyrtisiopsis Séguy, 1930
- Cyrtosia Perris, 1839
- Doliopteryx Hesse, 1938
- Elachymyia Hall & Evenhuis, 1987
- Empidideicus Becker, 1907
- Anomaloptilus Hesse, 1938
- Cyrtoides Engel, 1933
- †Eoacridophagus Myskowiak, Garrouste & Nel, 2016
- †Eurodoliopteryx Nel, 2006
- Glabellula Bezzi, 1902
- Glella Greathead & Evenhuis, 2001
- Hesychastes Evenhuis, 2002
- Heterhybos Brèthes, 1919
- Leylaiya Efflatoun, 1945
- †Microburmyia Grimaldi & Cumming, 2011
- Mitinha Rafael & Limeira-de-Oliveira, 2014
- Mnemomyia Bowden, 1975
- Mythenteles Hall & Evenhuis, 1986
- Mythicomyia Coquillett, 1893
- Nexus Hall & Evenhuis, 1987
- Onchopelma Hesse, 1938
- †Palaeoplatypygus Kovalev, 1985
- Paraconsors Hall & Evenhuis, 1987
- Pieza Evenhuis, 2002
- Platypygus Loew, 1844
- †Procyrtosia Zaitzev, 1986
- †Proplatypygus Hennig, 1969
- Pseudoglabellula Hesse, 1967
- Psiloderoides Hesse, 1967
- Reissa Evenhuis & Baéz, 2001
- †Riga Evenhuis, 2013
- Tamanduamyia Rafael & Limeira-de-Oliveira, 2014
- Zzyzzarro Evenhuis, 2022
References
- Evenhuis, N.L., 2002. Catalog of the Mythicomyiidae of the world.Bishop Museum Bulletin in Entomology 10: 1-85. established classification of the family.
- Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 1997. Family Bombyliidae. In: Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera Volume 2 (L. Papp & B. Darvas, eds.): 487–512. Science Herald, Budapest. provide a key to the Palaearctic genera.
- Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 2001. Annotated keys to the genera of African Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae). African Invertebrates 42: 105–224. good illustrated keys to African genera.
- Zaitzev, V.F. 1991. the phylogeny and system of dipterous insects of the superfamily Bombylioidea (Diptera). Entomologicheskoe Obozreniye 70: 716–736. [English translation, 1992, in Entomological Review 71(4): 94–114.]
External links
- Diptera.info Images
- world catalog of Mythicomyiidae (original and updated catalog as pdf)
- catalog of the Australian species of Mythicomyiidae
- catalog of the fossil species of Mythicomyiidae
- photo of Platypygus ridibundus