Platypezoidea
Family Guides
3- Lonchopteridae(spear-winged flies)
- Phoridae(scuttle flies)
- Platypezidae(Flat-footed Flies)
Platypezoidea is a superfamily of true flies within the section Aschiza of the suborder . lack the —a sac-like structure used by to emerge from the —and therefore do not possess the characteristic inverted-U-shaped ptilinal above the . The superfamily contains five : Phoridae (coffin and scuttle flies), (flat-footed flies), (ironic flies), Lonchopteridae (spear-winged or pointed-wing flies), and Platypezidae (flat-footed flies). Some classifications separate Ironomyiidae, Lonchopteridae, and Phoridae as the distinct superfamily Phoroidea.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Platypezoidea: //ˌplætɪpɛˈzoʊɪdiə//
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Identification
can be distinguished from the closely related Syrphoidea and other Aschiza by the absence of the ptilinal ; the lacks the inverted-U-shaped groove above the that characterizes . Larvae develop within a —a rounded, barrel-shaped pupal case typical of Muscomorpha. -level identification relies on wing venation, body form, and antennal structure: Lonchopteridae have distinctive pointed wings; Platypezidae and share flattened ; Phoridae are typically humpbacked with reduced wing venation; are small and slender with reduced mouthparts.
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Similar Taxa
- SyrphoideaClosest living relatives; both are Aschiza lacking , but Syrphoidea contains hoverflies (Syrphidae and Pipunculidae) with distinct wing venation and often of Hymenoptera
- SchizophoraLarger group of Muscomorpha that possess and ptilinal ; emerge from by inflating ptilinum to break open pupal case