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Muscomorpha

(Infraorder)

Overview

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The Brachyceran infraorder Muscomorpha is a large and diverse group of flies, containing the bulk of the Brachycera, and, in fact, most of the known flies. 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.

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The name Cyclorrhapha is used, in various modern classification s, to represent either a subgroup within the infraorder Muscomorpha, or simply a rankless group within the Brachycera. In either case, Empidoidea is the sister taxon to 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, the name "Muscomorpha" refers to the Asilomorpha plus the Cyclorrhapha.

External links

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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

Acartophthalmus is a genus of flies, the only genus in the family Acartophthalmidae. They are 1.0?2.5 millimetres (0.04?0.10 in) long, and grey or black in color, with pubescent arista. Only four species are included, all of which are Holarctic; two of the species occur in the United Kingdom. There is also an uncertain fossil species. [more]

Agromyzidae

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

Anthomyiidae

Anthomyiidae is a large and diverse family of Muscoidea flies. Most look rather like small houseflies, but are commonly drab grey. The genus Anthomyia, in contrast, are generally conspicuously-patterned in black-and-white or black-and-silvery-grey. Most are difficult to identify, apart from a few groups such as the kelp flies that are conspicuous on beaches. [more]

Anthomyzidae

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Asteiidae

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

Aulacigastridae

Aulacigastridae is a very small family of flies known as sap flies. The family used to be included within this family, but was moved by Papp in 1984. [more]

Australimyzidae

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Braulidae

Braulidae, or bee lice, is a flies family (Diptera) that contains eight species in two genera, Braula and Megabraula. These are very unusual flies, wingless and flattened, and barely recognizable as Diptera. [more]

Calliphoridae

Calliphoridae (commonly known as blow-flies, carrion flies, bluebottles, greenbottles, or cluster flies) are insects in the Order Diptera, family Calliphoridae. The family is known to be non-monophyletic, but much remains disputed regarding proper treatment of the constituent units, some of which are occasionally accorded family status (e.g., Bengaliidae, Helicoboscidae, Polleniidae, Rhiniidae). [more]

Camillidae

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

Campichoetidae

Campichoetidae is a small family of acalyptrate Diptera with only one genus Campichoeta Macquart, 1835.They are regarded by some authors as Diastatidae. [more]

Canacidae

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

Carnidae

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

Celyphidae

Celyphidae, commonly known as beetle flies or beetle-backed flies, are a family of flies (Order Diptera). About 90 species are known from the Oriental and Afrotropic biogeographic regions. [more]

Chamaemyiidae

Chamaemyiidae is a small family of acalyptrate 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 flies 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 flies 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

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Ctenostylidae

The enigmatic fly family Ctenostylidae is a small group of very rare flies formerly included in the family Pyrgotidae (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

Cypselosomatidae is a family of true flies (Diptera) closely related to the Micropezidae . There are 3 living genera and one fossil. The living species are believed to be associated with bat guano. [more]

Diastatidae

Diastatidae are a type of flies, and are in the family 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 three genera. There is an additional fossil genus. [more]

Diopsidae

Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. 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. A rather remarkable feature of stalk-eyed flies shortly after emerging from their pupae, is the ability of the males to ingest air through their oral cavity, and pump it through ducts in the head and through to the tips of the stalks, thereby elongating them while they are still soft and transparent. 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 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 . An African genus Centrioncus once placed in the Sepsidae and then moved to the Diopsidae had been suggested as belonging to a proposed new family Centrioncidae as a sister group of the Diopsids but this is usually treated as a subfamily. [more]

Drosophilidae

Drosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, which includes fruit flies. Another family of flies called Tephritidae also includes fruit flies. The best known species of Drosophilidae is Drosophila melanogaster, within the genus Drosophila, and this species is used extensively for studies concerning genetics, development, physiology, ecology and behaviour. This fruit fly is mostly composed of post-mitotic cells, has a very short lifespan, and shows gradual aging. As in other species, temperature influences the life history of the animal. Several genes have been identified that can be manipulated to extend the lifespan of these animals. [more]

Dryomyzidae

Dryomyzidae is a small family of flies. [more]

Ephydridae

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

Eurychoromyiidae

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

Fanniidae

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

Fergusoninidae

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Gasterophilidae

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Glossinidae

Tsetse (, US /'tsi?tsi/, or UK /'ts?tsi/), sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit 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 trypanosomiasis, also known as 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. Walker 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

Helcomyzinae is a small subfamily of Acalyptratae flies. Most authors consider they are now placed in the family Dryomyzidae. They are sometimes placed in the family Coelopidae, or elevated to family rank as Helcomyzidae. [more]

Heleomyzidae

Heleomyzidae is a small family of true flies in the insect 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

Helosciomyzidae is a very small family of flies. They comprise nine genera and 22 species. [more]

Heterocheilidae

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Hippoboscidae

Hippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds are obligate parasites 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]

Huttoninidae

The family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. [more]

Hypodermatidae

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Ironomyiidae

Ironomyiidae or ironic flies , are a small family of insects of the order Diptera. Historically they have been included in the family Platypezidae. It includes only 3 living species, and a number extinct fossil species. [more]

Lauxaniidae

Lauxaniidae is a family of acalyptrate flies. It contains around 1800 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 different patterned wings. Contrary to popular belief they do not have different patterned bodies [more]

Lonchaeidae

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. [more]

Lonchopteridae

Lonchopteridae (spear-winged flies or pointed-wing flies) are a family 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

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Megamerinidae

Megamerinidae is a family of flies (Diptera) with about 11 species in the genera Protexara Yang Megamerina Rondani, and Texara Walker. They are marked by an elongate, basally constricted abdomen. The family is typically placed in the superfamily Diopsoidea (but may be placed in Nerioidea by some authors). [more]

Micropezidae

The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid 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 are a family of flies. Most species are very small and dark in color. Details of their biology have not yet been properly studied, but they are best known as kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates, and accordingly are commonly known as freeloader flies or jackal flies. However, because of the conditions under which many species breed out, they also are known as filth flies [more]

Mormotomyiidae

The family Mormotomyiidae (Diptera: Ephydroidea) contains only one known species, Mormotomyia hirsuta, commonly known as the Frightful Hairy Fly, which is found in Kenya. The fly was first described by English entomologist Ernest Edward Austen, and specimens have been collected from one location on a 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 guano. Adult flies are believed to feed on bodily secretions of bats. The fly measures about 1 cm long, with hairy legs, and, due to its non-functional wings and tiny eyes, looks more like a spider than a fly. Specimens have been collected only three times, in 1933, 1948, and 2010. [more]

Muscidae

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

Mystacinobiidae

The New Zealand batfly, Mystacinobia zelandica, is a small, wingless insect which lives in a symbiotic relationship with the New Zealand Lesser Short-tailed Bat. It is a member of the true flies that belong to the order Diptera but is so unusual that it is placed in its own genus, Mystacinobia, and family, Mystacinobiidae - this monotypic family is endemic to New Zealand. [more]

Nannodastiidae

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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 flies. There are only 58 described species but there are representatives in all the major biogeographic realms. [more]

Oestridae

A botfly, also written bot fly, bott fly or bot-fly in various combinations, is any fly in the family Oestridae. The life cycles vary greatly according to species, but the larvae of all species are internal parasites of mammals. They are variously known by common names such as warble flies, heel flies, and gadflies. The larvae of some species grow in the flesh of their hosts, while others grow within the hosts' alimentary tracts. The human botfly, Dermatobia hominis, is the only species of bot fly known to use humans routinely as its larval host, though it is neither the only nor the most harmful fly to cause myiasis in humans. [more]

Opetiidae

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

Opomyzidae

Opomyzidae is a family of acalyptrate 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

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Periscelididae

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Phaeomyiidae

The family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. [more]

Phoridae

Phoridae is a family 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 4,000 species are known in 230 genera. The most well-known species is Megaselia scalaris, commonly called a "coffin fly". [more]

Piophilidae

Cheese flies are members of the family Piophilidae of flies. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. The best-known member of the family is . 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 family of flies (Diptera), commonly termed Big-Headed Flies a reference to the large (Holoptic) eyes , which cover nearly the entire head. The Family is worldwide and more than 1300 species have been described. [more]

Platypezidae

Platypezidae is a family 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 times. [more]

Platystomatidae

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Pseudopomyzidae

The Pseudopomyzidae are minute to small (1.7-5.5 mm), dark colored acalyptrate flies. [more]

Psilidae

Psilidae is family of two-winged flies. 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 (Diptera), 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 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]

Rhiniidae

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Rhinophoridae

Rhinophoridae are a small family of flies (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

Richardiidae is a family of Diptera in the superfamily Tephritoidea. [more]

Ropalomeridae

Ropalomeridae is a family of acalyptrate flies. [more]

Sarcophagidae

Flies of the Diptera family Sarcophagidae (from the Greek s???? sarco- = flesh, f??e 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 family 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 belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. [more]

Sepsidae

Sepsidae are a family 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. Many species resemble ants having a "waist" and glossy black body. 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 family 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]

Strongylophthalmyiidae

Strongylophthalmyiidae is a small family of about 45 species of slender, long-legged flies. The majority of these occurring the Oriental and Australasian Regions. They are divided into two genera, the monotypic Southeast Asian genus Shatalkin, 1993 and Strongylophthalmyia Heller, 1902. The relationships of the group are obscure; formerly the genus Strongylophthalmyia was classified with the Psilidae, and some recent classifications place it within the Tanypezidae. Little is known of their biology, but many species seem to be associated with rotting bark. [more]

Syringogastridae

Syringogaster is a genus of small (4 to 6mm) ant-like 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

Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. [more]

Tachinidae

Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies 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. As far as is known, they all are Protelean parasitoids, or occasionally parasites, of Arthropoda. [more]

Tachiniscidae

The Tachiniscinae are a subfamily of the fruit fly family Tephritidae. They are treated by some authorities as a separate family, Tachiniscidae. An undetermined species of the genus Tachiniscidia has been reared from Saturniidae caterpillars in Nigeria. [more]

Tanypezidae

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

Tephritidae

Tephritidae is one of two fly families referred to as "fruit flies", the other family being Drosophilidae. Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus Drosophila (in the family Drosophilidae), which is often called the "common fruit fly". 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, in reference to their elaborate and colorful markings. [more]

Teratomyzidae

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Tethinidae

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Ulidiidae

Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) is a large and diverse cosmopolitan family of flies, and, as in related families, most species are herbivorous or saprophagous. They are often known as picture-winged flies, along with members of other families in the superfamily Tephritoidea that have patterns of bands or spots on the wings. Most species share with the Tephritidae an unusual elongated projection of the anal cell in the wing, but can be differentiated by the smoothly-curving subcostal vein. [more]

Xenasteiidae

[more]

At least 15 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: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:19:07