Cryptochetidae

Definition

A small family of minute flies (Diptera: Lonchaeoidea) comprising approximately 20–30 described species. Adults are typically metallic blue-black, stout-bodied with a broad, high head and hyaline wings. The family is distinguished by the reduction or absence of the arista—a diagnostic bristle of most Schizophora—and by antennae with a cleft second segment, a synapomorphy of Lonchaeoidea. Adults possess only a single pair of abdominal spiracles, an unusual reduction among insects. The name derives from Greek *kryptos* (hidden) + *chaite* (bristle), referring to the concealed or absent arista. Larvae are parasitoids of scale insects (Coccoidea).

Etymology

Greek kryptos (hidden) + chaite (bristle), referring to the reduced or concealed arista

Example

Cryptochetum iceryae, a parasitoid of the cottony cushion scale Icerya purchasi, was introduced to California in the 1880s as one of the earliest successful cases of classical biological control.

Related Terms

• Lonchaeoidea
• Schizophora
• Arista
• Spiracle
• Biological control
• Coccoidea
• Diptera

Usage Notes

The family's placement in Lonchaeoidea is well-established, though its relationships within that superfamily remain debated. The reduced spiracle count is functionally tolerated due to the small body size and low metabolic demands of these minute flies. Cryptochetidae are frequently encountered in biological control literature but are rarely collected by general entomologists due to their minute size and specialized host associations.