Iteaphila
Zetterstedt, 1838
Iteaphila is a of small to medium-sized dance flies (Diptera: Empidoidea) in the Iteaphilidae. The genus was redefined to include with both branched and unbranched radial (R4+5) based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis. are exclusively anthophilous, feeding on pollen and never . The genus occurs primarily in the Holarctic region with some extension into the Oriental Region.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Iteaphila: /aɪˌtiːəˈfaɪlə/
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Identification
Iteaphila are distinguished from the related Paraiteaphila by the structure of the radial : Iteaphila includes species with both branched and unbranched R4+5, while Paraiteaphila contains the former Iteaphila setosa group. Male terminalia provide critical diagnostic characters for species-level identification; the genus is divided into species groups (bulbosa, macquarti, nitidula, nupta, oedalina, stentor) based on morphological characters.
Distribution
Holarctic, with records from Europe (Denmark, Norway, Sweden), Asia (Kazakhstan, Nepal, Russia [south Primorsk Territory, Sakhalin], Japan [Nagano], Taiwan), and North America (Canada [British Columbia], USA [Alaska], Mexico [Baja California]). First record from the Oriental Region (Taiwan, Nepal). Five are Holarctic in distribution: I. cirrata, I. macquarti, I. nitidula, I. orchestris, and I. pumila.
Diet
are exclusively anthophilous, feeding on pollen. The has been determined to be never based on reviewed and summarized feeding habit data.
Behavior
visit flowers for pollen feeding. Not .
Ecological Role
Pollen feeding suggests a role as of visited flowers, though specific mutualisms have not been documented.
Similar Taxa
- ParaiteaphilaFormerly included in Iteaphila as the setosa group; distinguished by morphological characters and now placed in separate . Contains with transferred combinations: P. arundela, P. caucasica, P. italica, P. kubaniensis, P. merzi, and P. setosa.
- AnthepiscopusHypothesized as junior synonym of Iteaphila based on phylogenetic analysis; previously treated as distinct .