Empididae

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Empididae is a family of flies with more than 3,000 species that are described worldwide throughout the Ecozones but the majority are found in Holarctic. They are predominantly predatory flies like most of their relatives in Empidoidea, and show various forms but are generally small to medium, non-metallic and somewhat rough.

The common name for this family member is the dagger fly (referring to the sharp piercing of some species) and the balloon fly . The term "fly dance" is sometimes used for this family as well, but the dance flies appropriately, which was previously included here, now considered a separate family of Hybotidae.

Video Empididae

Description

For the term, see the Diptera Morphology.

Empididae are small to medium sized flies, rarely large (1.0 to 15.0 mm). The body is slender, elongated and rarely thick. The colors range from yellow to black, and they may be pollinose or shiny, but never have a metallic gloss. The head is often small and round with relatively large eyes. Male eyes and (rarely) females may be close together (holoptic). Antenna usually has three segments where the third is the largest and bears long or short, usually apical arista or style. Eyes often have an incision (notch) at the antenna level. The trunk is often long and in some genera strong and piercing. If the mouth is very elongated, they project forward or down toward the front foot. Some species have short mouths. The legs are usually long and slender but often strong and in some cases the forelegs are raptorial, adjusted to catch and hold prey. The wings are clear or partially colored and, in some species, with stigmatic spots, or with different patterns. Radial venous R4 5 is often branched and the disc medal cell (dm) is almost always present. Creation of wings in small species is often simplified. The posteror portion of the wing on the basal side of the anal vein contains protrusion of the axillary or rectal lobe. In species with highly developed axillary lobes, the margins may form an angle with the edges of the alula. This is called the axillary angle, whose size is often a good diagnostic feature.

The larva has an incomplete (hemisephalic) head capsule that is often drawn into the 8-segment thorax stomach with a paired parapode on the abdominal segment 1-7 or 1-8. The posterior spirul is quite separate and the anal segment is often perforated. Cocoon without puparium.

Maps Empididae

Biology

Adult pyridids are found in a variety of forest habitats, on plant leaves, on tree trunks, water vegetation and also in river beds and seepage habitats. Some species are associated with open areas such as pastures, farms, swamps, coastal and coastal areas. Adults capture prey arthropods, including other Diptera (including other empidids, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Lepidoptera, Trichoptera, Thysanoptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Collembola, and Acari.) Because of their predation they are natural and biological control agents important of the various species of insect pests and as a group with a wide diversity of species they occupy a variety of habitats.A couple of adults Empididae also visit the flowers to get nectar.At least some groups ( Iteaphila , Anthepiscopus , Anthalia , Allanthalia and Euthyneura ) get all their protein needs by feeding on pollen.The larvae are commonly found in moist soils, wood rotting, dirt, or in aquatic habitats and also predators in various arthropods, especially other Diptera larvae.

Some of the Empididae, like the European species of Hilara maura, have intricate marriage rituals in which men wrap prey items in silk and present them to women to stimulate intercourse. It was first discovered that these flies carry a silk "wedding gift" by Baron Karl von Osten-Sacken. Eppididae shows a diverse marriage system, ranging from species in which men aggregate in herds, and compete to select females for the begotten species sex where women do aggregate and compete for the attention of choosing men. In some species, the competition for food provided by men is so strong that females have developed intricate ornaments, including hairy "pennate" scales on their feet, dark wings, and abdominal sacs that enhance their appeal.

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Evolution and systematics

Empididae is well represented in amber and family deposits seem to have been well established in the slowest Cretaceous period.

The two groups previously placed here as subfamilies are now generally regarded as separate families in Empidoidea: Atelestidae and Hybotidae. Brachystomatidae are also sometimes separated as different families, but this seems wrong. The old Microphorinae was placed in Empididae as a subfamily, then briefly classified as a different family, and is now considered a subfamily of long-legged flies (Dolichopodidae).

Among the subfamilies currently placed here, not all are confirmed as monophyletic groups. Some rearrangements, especially regarding the determination of Empididae versus Dolichopodidae - which together represent the most sophisticated outline and lineage of Empidoidea - are likely to occur in the future. The Brachystomatinae, Empidinae and Hemerodromiinae however appear to be the closest natural group of closest relatives, and Clinocerinae apparently is for the lion's share.

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List of Species

• West Palaearctic including Russia
• Australasia/Oceania
• Nearctic
• Japan
• List of worlds

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Identify

• ChvÃÆ'¡la, M. (1994) The Empidoidea (Diptera) from Fennoscandia and Denmark . I, I, I. Genus Empis. Leiden: Brill 29.
• Collin, J.E. (1961) British Flies . VI. Empididae. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Engel, E. O., 1938-1954 Empididae. In: Lindner, E. (Ed.). Die Fliegen region der palaearktischen , 4, 28, 1-400.
• Frey, R. 1954- 1956 Empididae. In: Lindner, E. (Ed.). Die Fliegen region der palaearktischen 4, 28, 400-639.
• Gorodkov, K. B. and Kovalev V.G. The Empididae Family in Bei-Bienko, G. Yes, 1988 The key to insects from the European Section of the USSR Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. The key to the Palaearctic species but now needs to be revised.

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Gallery

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Footnote

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References

• Chinery, Michael (1986): Collins Guide to British and Western European Insects .
• Moulton, J.K. & amp; Wiegmann, B.M. (2007): The phylogenetic relationship 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. & amp; Cumming, J.M. (2006): Morphology, high levels of phylogeny and classification of Empidoidea (Diptera). Zootaxa 1180 : 1-172. PDF fulltext
• K. G. V. Smith, 1989 Introduction to the immature stages of the British fly. Diptera larvae, with notes about eggs, puputan and pupa. Handbook for Identification of British Insects Vol 10 Part 14. pdf download manual (two parts Main text and number index)

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External links

• Data related to Empididae in Wikispecies
• Media related to Empididae on Wikimedia Commons
• Empididae In Italian
• Family Empididae in EOL image
• image Diptera.info
• NADS
• Family description
• Family description
• Diptera Fossil Catalog
• The key to the British Empire genera

Source of the article : Wikipedia