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Muscomorpha

(Infraorder)

Overview

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The infraorder Muscomorpha is a large and diverse group of flies, containing the bulk of the Brachycera, and, in fact, most of the known Diptera. It includes a number of the most familiar flies, such as the housefly, the fruit fly and the blowfly. The antennae are short, usually 3-segmented, with a dorsal arista. Their bodies are often highly setose, and the pattern of setae is often taxonomically important.

The larvae of muscomorphs (in the sense the name is used here; see below) have a reduced head capsule, and the pupa is formed inside the exoskeleton of the last larval instar; exit from this puparium is via a circular line of weakness, and this pupal type is called "cyclorrhaphous" - it is this feature which gives this group of flies their traditional name, Cyclorrhapha. No other insects have a life cycle that involves a puparium.

Classification

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The name Cyclorrhapha is used, in various modern classifications, to represent either a subgroup within the infraorder Muscomorpha, or simply a rankless group within the Brachycera. In either case, the Empidoidea are the sister taxon to the Cyclorrhapha. In the present classification, as the Muscomorpha is used to refer to the sister taxon of the Empidoidea, the names "Muscomorpha" and "Cyclorrhapha" are effectively synonymous (though not entirely interchangeable: for nomenclatural purposes, it is always considered better if the endings of names of similar rank are consistent, and since all the other infraordinal names end in "-morpha", the use of "Cyclorrhapha" as an infraordinal name would be inconsistent).

In the Tree of Life Web Project system, which is non-Linnaean[verification needed], the name "Muscomorpha" refers to the Asilomorpha plus the Cyclorrhapha. (see discussion for details).

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Infraorder Muscomorpha is a member of the Suborder Brachycera. Here is the complete "parentage" of Muscomorpha:

The Infraorder Muscomorpha is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Acartophthalmidae

Acartophthalmidae is a of very small (1-2.5 mm), dark flies with pubescent arista , found in the order Diptera. Only four species are included, all in the Genus Acartophthalmus Czerny. All are Holarctic. [more]

Agromyzidae

The family Agromyzidae is commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies, for the feeding habit of , some of which are leaf miners on various plants. [more]

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiidae is a large and diverse of Muscoidea flies. Name came from Greek "anthos" (flower) + "myia" (a fly). Some species are commonly called "root-maggots", as the larvae are found in the stems and roots of various plants. As larvae, some also feed on decaying plant material, and some are leafminers; the family also includes inquilines, commensals, and parasitic larvae. [more]

Anthomyzidae

[more]

Asteiidae

Asteiidae is a small but widespread family of flies or Diptera. About 130 species in 10 genera have been described world-wide.They are rarely collected. [more]

Aulacigastridae

[more]

Australimyzidae

[more]

Braulidae

The family Braulidae (), or bee lice, contains eight species in two genera, Braula and Megabraula. These are very unusual flies, wingless and flattened, and barely recognizable as Diptera. Braula coeca Nitzsch is a pest of honey bees. The larvae tunnel through the wax honeycomb and the adults are found on the bodies of honey bees. There is some debate as to whether the bee louse causes damage to the honey bee. These flies sometimes can be found at places where bees congregate such as flowers or salt licks, waiting to grab onto hosts from uninfested nests. Braula is cosmopolitan and about 1.6 mm in length. Megabraula is found in Nepal and is 3 mm in length [more]

Calliphoridae

Insects in the Order , family Calliphoridae are commonly called blow flies, carrion flies, bluebottle, greenbottle, or cluster flies. [more]

Camillidae

Camillidae is a family of flies, or . There are three genera (two living; one fossil). [more]

Campichoetidae

[more]

Canacidae

Canacidae, incorrectly Canaceidae, or beach flies, surf or surge flies, is a family of .There are 113 species in 12 genera. [more]

Carnidae

Carnidae is a family of flies (). There are 5 genera, containing about 88 species worldwide. [more]

Celyphidae

Celyphidae or beetle , beetle-backed flies is a family of insects of the order Diptera. About 90 species are known from the Oriental and Afrotropic biogeographic regions. [more]

Chamaemyiidae

Chamaemyiidae is a small family of flies with less than 200 species described worldwide. The larvae of these small flies are active and predatory and are often used for biological control of aphids, scale insects and similar pests. Chamaemyiid fossils are poorly represented in amber deposits but a few examples are known from the Eocene epoch onwards. [more]

Chloropidae

Chloropidae is a family of commonly known as frit flies or grass flies. There are approximately 2000 described species in over 160 genera distributed worldwide. These are usually very small flies, yellow or black and appearing shiny due to the virtual absence of any hairs. The majority of the larvae are phytophagous, mainly on grasses, and can be major pests of cereals. However, parasitic and predatory species are known. A few species are kleptoparasites. Some species in the genus Hippelates and Siphunculina (S. funicola being quite well known in Asia) are called eye gnats or eye flies for their habit of being attracted to eyes. They feed on lachrymal secretions and other body fluids of various animals including humans. [more]

Chyromyidae

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Clusiidae

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Coelopidae

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Conopidae

Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, is a family of within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800 species in 47 genera are described worldwide, approximately 70 of which are found in North America. The majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees, or flies of the family Syrphidae, themselves notable bee mimics. Conopids are most frequently found at flowers, feeding on nectar with their proboscis, which is often long. [more]

Cryptochetidae

[more]

Ctenostylidae

The enigmatic fly family Ctenostylidae is a small group of very rare flies formerly included in the family (as the subfamily "Lochmostyliinae"); the principal reason for their inclusion in the Pyrgotidae was the absence of ocelli, a feature originally thought to be a unique defining feature ("autapomorphy") of the Pyrgotidae. Subsequent careful analysis has revealed that this anatomical feature shared with Pyrgotidae may not be indicative of a close relationship, and even the inclusion of Ctenostylidae within the superfamily Tephritoidea was cast into doubt, leaving this as the only family of Acalyptratae presently unassignable to superfamily. [more]

Curtonotidae

[more]

Cypselosomatidae

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Diastatidae

Diastatidae are a type of flies, and are in the Diptera. They occur primarily in the Holarctic Region, but several species are known from the Oriental, Neotropical, and Australasian regions. Members of the family number over 20 described species in two genera. There is an additional fossil genus. [more]

Diopsidae

Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the family Diopsidae (sometimes called Centrioncidae). The family is distinguished by the possession of eyestalks: projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. Some fly species from other dipteran families such as the Drosophilidae and Tephritidae carry similar structures but the unique character of the Diopsidae is that the antennae are carried next to the eye at the end of the stalk. There are several hundred species in the family, with the greatest diversity found in the Old World tropics They are distributed throughout the region, with the best known species being from South-East Asia and Southern Africa. There are also two species in North America, both associated with skunk cabbage bogs,[citation needed] and a European species has recently been found in Hungary. Adult diopsids are typically found on low-lying vegetation in humid areas, often near streams and rivers, where they feed on fungi and bacteria on decaying vegetation. The larvae develop in rotting vegetation. Due to their peculiar morphology, stalk-eyed flies are readily identifiable as fossils (e.g. in amber); one such prehistoric genus is Prosphyracephala. [more]

Drosophilidae

Drosophilidae is a diverse, family of flies, including the genus Drosophila, which includes fruit flies. The best known species is Drosophila melanogaster that is used extensively for studies concerning genetics, development, physiology, ecology, behaviour, etc. The fruit fly is mostly composed of post-mitotic cells, has a very short lifespan, and shows gradual aging. Like in other species, temperature influences the life history of the animal. Several genes have been identified whose manipulation extends the lifespan of these animals. [more]

Dryomyzidae

Dryomyzidae is a small family of . [more]

Ephydridae

Ephydridae (shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of in the order Diptera. [more]

Eurychoromyiidae

Eurychoromyia mallea, the broad-headed fly, is a of fly, the only species in the family Eurychoromyiidae. [more]

Fanniidae

The Fanniidae are a small (285 species in 4 genera) group of largely confined to the Holarctic and temperate Neotropical regions. [more]

Fergusoninidae

[more]

Gasterophilidae

[more]

Glossinidae

Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze, are large inhabiting much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which cause human sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomosis, aka nagana. Tsetse include all the species in the genus Glossina, which are generally placed in their own family, Glossinidae. [more]

Gobryidae

Gobryidae is a family of five species in the genus Gobrya. described the genus in 1860. They are relatively rare and found only in Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Gobryids are brilliantly metallic blue in coloration and their heads are wider than the rest of their body. Very little is known about the larval habits of these flies. McAlpine (1997) elevated the genus to family level. More research is needed to determine the best phylogenetic placement for Gobrya. [more]

Helcomyzidae

[more]

Heleomyzidae

Heleomyzidae is a small family of true flies in the order Diptera. There are over 650 described species of Heleomyzidae in about 80 genera and 22 tribes distributed throughout the world; the greatest number occur in the Holarctic Region. Approximately 100 species of Heleomyzidae are found in North America. Larvae feed on decaying plant and animal matter, mushrooms and various fungi. All of the subfamilies have been commonly recognized as families in the past, but are now included within the Heleomyzidae (McAlpine,D.K.,1985). [more]

Helosciomyzidae

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Heterocheilidae

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Hippoboscidae

Hippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds are of mammals and birds. In this family there are winged species which can fly at least reasonably well, as well as others with vestigial or no wings which are flightless and highly apomorphic. As usual in their superfamily Hippoboscoidea, most of the larval development takes place within the mother's body, and pupation occurs almost immediately. [more]

Hypodermatidae

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Ironomyiidae

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Lauxaniidae

Lauxaniidae is a family of flies. It contains around 1500 described species in 126 genera distributed worldwide. These are generally small flies (length 5 mm or less) with large compound eyes, often brightly colored in life. Many species have patterned wings. [more]

Lonchaeidae

Lonchaeidae is a family of 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. [more]

Lonchopteridae

Lonchopteridae (spear-winged flies or pointed-wing flies) are a of small (2–5 mm), slender, yellow to brownish-black Diptera, occurring all over the world. Their common name refers to their pointed wings, which have a distinct venation. Most are bisexual; males are very rare however at least in North American species, and have a somewhat different venation than do the females. [more]

Marginidae

[more]

Megamerinidae

A Family in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Micropezidae

The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and 5 subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island). They are most diverse in tropical and subtropical habitats, especially in the Neotropical Region. [more]

Milichiidae

Milichiidae is a family of . Larva primarily feed rotting vegetable matter, or decaying wood or bark. The larval stage generally lasting about 2-3 weeks in most temperate climates. The adults of some species linger close to spiders or other predators in order to feed on their prey, leading to the common name of "freeloader flies". [more]

Mormotomyiidae

The family Mormotomyiidae (: Hippoboscoidea) contains only one known species, Mormotomyia hirsuta Austen, from Kenya. Specimens have been collected from one rock on one mountain in the Okazzi Hills, in a cleft where a bat roost is located; this may possibly be the most restricted geographic distribution for any fly family. The larvae have been collected from bat feces. Adult flies are believed to feed on bodily secretions of bats. [more]

Muscidae

Muscidae is a family of found in the superfamily Muscoidea. The apical segment of the antennae of Muscidae are plumose, and the basal portion is smooth. [more]

Neminidae

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Neriidae

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Neurochaetidae

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Nothybidae

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Nycteribiidae

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Odiniidae

Odiniidae is a small family of . There are only 58 described species but there are representatives in all the major biogeographic realms. [more]

Oestridae

The botfly is a of Oestroidea. It is one of several families of hairy flies whose larvae live as parasites within the bodies of mammals. There are approximately 150 known species worldwide. [more]

Opetiidae

Opetiidae or flat-footed flies are members of a family of flies of the Diptera. [more]

Opomyzidae

Opomyzidae is a family of Diptera. They are generally small, slender, yellow, brown or black colored flies. The larval food plants are grasses, including cereal crops, the adults are mainly found in open habitats. Some species being agricultural pests. [more]

Pallopteridae

[more]

Periscelididae

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Phaeomyiidae

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Phoridae

Phoridae is a of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. Phorid flies can often be identified by their escape habit of running rapidly across a surface rather than taking to the wing. This behaviour is a source of one of their alternate names: scuttle fly. They are a diverse and successful group of insects. Approximately 3,000 species are known in 230 genera. [more]

Piophilidae

Cheese flies are members of the Piophilidae of flies (Diptera), including the members of two now-obsolete families, Neottiophilidae and Thyreophoridae. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. The best-known member of the family is Piophila casei. It is a small fly, about four mm (1/6 inch) long, found worldwide. The fly's larva infests cured meats, smoked fish, cheeses, and decaying animals. The larva is about 8 mm (? inch) long and is sometimes called the cheese skipper for its leaping ability - when disturbed, this tiny maggot can hop up to 15 cm (six inches) into the air. Adults are also known as "bacon flies" and their larvae as "bacon skippers", "ham skippers", "cheese maggots", and "cheese hoppers". In Sardinia, Italy the larvae are intentionally introduced into pecorino cheese to produce casu marzu. [more]

Pipunculidae

Pipunculidae are a of flies (Diptera), commonly termed Big-Headed Flies a reference to the large eyes , which cover nearly the entire head. The Family is worldwide and more than 1300 species have been described. [more]

Platypezidae

Platypezidae is a of true flies of the superfamily Platypezoidea. The more than 250 species are found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats. A common name is flat-footed flies, but this is also used for the closely related Opetiidae which were included in the Platypezidae in former tiems. [more]

Platystomatidae

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Pseudopomyzidae

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Psilidae

Psilidae is family of . Commonly called the rust flies, there are at least 38 species in 4 genera. The Carrot fly (Chamaepsila rosae) is a member of this group. [more]

Pyrgotidae

Pyrgotidae is an unusual family of flies (), one of only two families of Diptera that lack ocelli. Most species are "picture-winged", as is typical among Tephritoidea, but, unlike other tephritoids they are endoparasitoids; the females pursue scarab beetles in flight, laying an egg on the beetle's back under the elytra where the beetle cannot reach it. The egg hatches and the fly larva enters the body cavity of the beetle, feeding and eventually killing the host before pupating. In the United States, some species of Pyrgota and Sphecomyiella can be quite common in areas where their host beetles (typically the genus Phyllophaga, or "June beetles") are abundant. Like their host beetles, these flies are primarily nocturnal, and are often attracted to artificial lights. [more]

Rhinophoridae

Rhinophoridae are a small family of (Diptera) with around 500 species. Rhinophoridae are found in all zoogeographic regions except Australasia and Oceania but mainly in the Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions. [more]

Richardiidae

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Ropalomeridae

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Sarcophagidae

Flies of the family Sarcophagidae (from the Greek sarco- = flesh, phage = eating; the same roots as the word "sarcophagus") are commonly known as flesh flies. Most flesh flies breed in carrion, dung, or decaying material, but a few species lay their eggs in the open wounds of mammals; hence their common name. Some flesh fly larvae are internal parasites of other insects. These larvae, commonly known as maggots, live for about 5-10 days, before descending into the soil and maturing into adulthood. At that stage, they live for 5-7 days. [more]

Scathophagidae

The Scathophagidae is a small of Muscoidea which are often known as "Dung-flies" although this name is not appropriate except for a few species of the genus Scathophaga which do indeed pass their larval stages in animal dung. The name probably derives from the "Common Yellow Dung-fly", S. stercoraria, which is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous flies in many parts of the northern hemisphere. [more]

Sciadoceridae

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Sciomyzidae

The family Sciomyzidae, the marsh flies, are of the order ; some of the subgroups of this family are occasionally accorded status as separate families (Huttoninidae, Phaeomyiidae and Tetanoceridae). Marsh flies are generally slender, yellowish or brownish, ¼–½ inches long. They have fairly prominent eyes, prominent forward-pointing antennae, and bristles on the hind femora (upper hind leg). The wings are often mottled with various light brown markings according to species. Marsh flies are common along the edges of ponds and rivers, and in marshy areas where the larvae prey on or become parasites of slugs & snails. Very little is known about the complete life cycle of these flies. [more]

Sepsidae

Sepsidae are a of flies, commonly called the black scavenger flies or ensign flies. There are approximately 250 species worldwide. They are usually found around dung or decaying plant and animal material.They resemble ants having a "waist" and glossy black body [1]. Many Sepsidae have a curious wing-waving habit made more apparent by dark patches at the wing end. [more]

Somatiidae

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Sphaeroceridae

Sphaeroceridae are a of true flies in the order Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly suborder Brachycera as can be seen by their short antennae, and more precisely they are members of the section Schizophora. There are over 1,300 species and about 125 genera accepted as valid today, but new taxa are still being described. [more]

Syringogastridae

Syringogaster is a genus of small (4 to 6mm) flies with a petiolate abdomen, a long prothorax, a swollen and spiny hind femur, and reduced head size and large eyes. There are 20 living species in a single genus Syringogaster, There are 2 species know from Miocene amber from the Dominican Republic. It is the only genus in the family Syringogastridae. [more]

Syrphidae

in the family Syrphidae are commonly known as hoverflies, flower flies, or syrphid flies. [more]

Tachinidae

Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. There are over 1300 species in North America. Insects in this family are commonly called tachina flies or simply tachinids. [more]

Tachiniscidae

The Tachiniscinae are a of the fruit fly family Tephritidae. They are treated by some authorities as a separate family, Tachiniscidae. [more]

Tanypezidae

Tanypezidae is a small family of medium-sized true flies () found in the Nearctic Palaearctic and Neotropic zoogeographic regions. Some species have luminous silver or gold coloration. [more]

Tephritidae

Tephritidae is one of two families referred to as "fruit flies". Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila, which is often called the "common fruit fly". Drosophila is, instead, the type genus of the second "fruit fly" family, Drosophilidae. There are nearly 5,000 described species of tephritid fruit fly, categorized in almost 500 genera. Description, recategorization, and genetic analysis are constantly changing the taxonomy of this family. To distinguish them from the Drosophilidae, the Tephritidae are sometimes called peacock flies. [more]

Teratomyzidae

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Tethinidae

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Ulidiidae

The name picture-winged fly is sometimes used in a colloquial sense for various families in the superfamily Tephritoidea that have patterns of bands or spots on the wings, but is more correctly applied solely to the family Ulidiidae (which was formerly known as Otitidae). This is a large and diverse cosmopolitan family, and, as in related families, most species are herbivorous or saprophagous. [more]

Xenasteiidae

[more]

At least 11 species and subspecies belong to the Family Xenasteiidae.

More info about the Family Xenasteiidae may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 10:05:01