Overview
The Empidoidea are a large monophyletic superfamily of true flies, the sister taxon to the Muscomorpha (= "Cyclorrhapha"). These two groups are sometimes united in the unranked taxon . There are some 10,000 known species in the Empidoidea1].
The majority of these insects are predatory, often with large compound eyes (sometimes covering almost the entire surface of the head), and tend to be associated with moist, temperate habitats. Many have a well-developed anal lobe in the wings, and/or a small but distinct anal cell.
Systematics
The most familiar families in the group are the Empididae and Dolichopodidae, both of which occur worldwide and contain thousands of species. The smaller families were formerly included in the Empididae, but have since been accorded family status[2]. The Brachystomatinae and Microphorinae are sometimes elevated to full-blown families too, but this would apparently make the Empididae and Dolichopodidae paraphyletic and thus they are retained as subfamilies here.
It seems that the present systematic treatment essentially reflects phylogeny rather well; there are some of the more basal taxa in each lineage which are of more uncertain position in cladistic analyses, but at least as an interim solution, the four-family approach seems most warranted. Arranged in phylogenetic sequence, the families are:[1]
- Atelestidae
- Hybotidae ? dance flies
- Dolichopodidae ? long-legged flies (including Microphoridae)
- Empididae ? dagger flies and balloon flies (including Brachystomatidae)
Footnotes
The majority of these insects are predatory, often with large compound eyes (sometimes covering almost the enti re surface of the head), and tend to be associated with moist, temperate habitats. Many have a well-developed anal lobe in the wings, and/or a small but distinct anal cell.
Systematics
The most familiar families in the group are the Empididae and Dolichopodidae, both of which occur worldwide and contain thousands of species. The smaller families were formerly included in the Empididae, but have since been accorded family status[2]. The Brachystomatinae and Microphorinae are sometimes elevated to full-blown families too, but this would apparently make the Empididae and Dolichopodidae paraphyletic and thus they are retained as subfamilies here.
It seems that the present systematic treatment essentially reflects phylogeny rather well; there are some of the more basal taxa in each lineage which are of more uncertain position in cladistic analyses, but at least as an interim solution, the four-family approach seems most warranted. Arranged in phylogenetic sequence, the families are:[1]
- Atelestidae
- Hybotidae ? dance flies
- Dolichopodidae ? long-legged flies (including Microphoridae)
- Empididae ? dagger flies and balloon flies (including Brachystomatidae)
Footnotes
References
- 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 PMID 17468014 (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
Taxonomy
The Superfamily Empidoidea is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (5): Atelestidae · Dolichopodidae · Empididae · Hybotidae · Microphoridae
Families
Atelestidae
Atelestidae is a family of true flies in the superfamily Empidoidea. These four genera were placed in a separate family in 1983. They were formerly either in Platypezidae (which are not even particularly closely related) or considered incertae cedis. But while they are doubtless the most basal of the living Empidoidea, the monophyly of the family is not fully proven. The genus seems to represent a most ancient lineage among the entire superfamily, while Meghyperus is probably not monophyletic in its present delimitation, and it is liable to be split up eventually, with some species being placed elsewhere. [more]
Dolichopodidae
Dolichopodidae, the long-legged flies, make up a large family of true flies with more than 7,000 described species in about 230 genera distributed worldwide. The genus Dolichopus is the most speciose, with some 600 species. They are generally small flies with large, prominent eyes and a metallic cast to their appearance, though considerable variation is observed. Most have long legs, though some do not. The males often have enlarged genitalia which can be useful for species recognition. The adults are predatory on other small animals. [more]
Empididae
Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide, but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empidoidea, and exhibit a wide range of forms but are generally small to medium sized, non-metallic and rather bristly. [more]
Hybotidae
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. [more]
Microphoridae
More info about the Family Microphoridae may be found here.
References
- 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 PMID 17468014 (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
Footnotes
Sources
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