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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.

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

Images from Diptera.info

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

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

Images from Diptera.info

References

• Genus descriptions
• [1] [2] - Family descriptions

External links

http://lonchaeidae.myspecies.info/   

• World checklist pdf

The Family Lonchaeidae is a member of the Superfamily Tephritoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Lonchaeidae:

• Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
  • Kingdom: Animalia C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
    • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
      • Branch: Protostomia Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
        • Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa A.M.A. Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex T. Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
          • Superphylum: Panarthropoda Cuvier
            • Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
              • Subphylum: Mandibulata Snodgrass, 1938
                • Infraphylum: Atelocerata Heymons, 1901
                  • Superclass: Panhexapoda
                    • Class: Insecta C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
                      • Subclass: Dicondylia
                        • Infraclass: Pterygota - Winged Insects
                          • Superorder: Panorpida
                            • Order: Diptera (DIP-ter-uh) C. Linnaeus, 1758
                              • Suborder: Brachycera (brak-EYE-sair-uh)
                                • Infraorder: Muscomorpha
                                  • Superfamily: Tephritoidea
                                    • Family: Lonchaeidae - Lance Flies