Lonchaeidae

Distinguished from similar acalyptrate families by wing venation and bristle patterns: entire subcostal vein separates Lonchaeidae from Periscelididae; absence of preapical tibial bristles on at least anterior and posterior tibia separates from Sapromyzidae; presence of propleural bristle and exposed frontal lunule separates from Pallopteridae. Male genitalia provide species-level characters, particularly in genus Silba. Larval identification relies on amphipneustic respiratory system with anterior spiracles bearing 5–10 fan-arranged papillae, and posterior spiracles on raised tubercle with three oval, radially arranged slits.

Predominantly wooded areas including forests and woodlands. Adults occur on tree trunks, logs, cut wood, leaves of shrubs, and in grasslands. Larval habitats are diverse: under bark, in bark beetle tunnels, in decomposing wood and plant residue, in dung, in flower buds, in fungal fruiting bodies, and within fruits. Some species form galls on plants including cereals; others inhabit fig fruits or conifer cones.

Worldwide distribution excluding polar regions and New Zealand. Present in all major biogeographical realms: Palearctic, Nearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australasian. The family is particularly well-represented in the Palearctic and Neotropical regions. Specific distribution varies by genus: for example, Neosilba is primarily Neotropical, while Silba has broader distribution including Mediterranean, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions.

Larvae exhibit diverse feeding habits: primarily phytophagous on already damaged plant tissues; coprophagous, mycophagous, saprophagous, and predatory species documented. Specific diets include decomposing wood, bark beetle tunnel contents, fungal fruiting bodies, fig internal tissue, conifer seeds, and potentially fig wasp larvae. Adults feed on sap from overripe fruits, with strong preference for milky latex secretions in some species.

• Ficus spp. - fruit infestationSilba adipata and other Silba species develop in fig fruits; larvae feed on internal fruit tissue
• Manihot esculenta - pestNeosilba perezi, cassava shoot fly, pest of cassava
• Passiflora pallida - fruit infestationDasiops passifloris infests corky-stemmed passion flower fruit
• Abies spp. - cone seed predatorEaromyia species are pests of fir and spruce, larvae feeding on seeds within cones
• Picea spp. - cone seed predatorEaromyia species feed on spruce seeds within cones
• Camellia japonica - larval developmentSilba mitsuii larvae develop in flower buds
• Ficus ischnopoda - larval developmentSilba ischnopoda larvae found in mature male figs; may be predaceous on fig wasp larvae
• Bark beetles (Scolytinae) - habitat associationLarvae commonly found in tunnels created by bark beetles

Complete metamorphosis with egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Larva is amphipneustic, slender, tapering anteriorly, with smooth body except for ventral creeping welts. Cephalopharyngeal skeleton with two stout untoothed mandibles. Pupation occurs within puparium. Pupae are the overwintering stage in temperate species. Some species are multivoltine with 4–6 generations per year under Mediterranean climate conditions. Larval development sites highly variable: under bark, in wood, in fruits, in flower buds, in fungi, or in dung.

Adults are found on woody substrates and vegetation. Females use elongated ovipositor to deposit eggs in protected locations such as fig ostioles, bark crevices, or plant tissues. Larvae of some species are known to cause premature fruit drop from host trees. Adults of some species are attracted to torula yeast or ammonium sulfate and hexanol baits. Some species are synanthropic, breeding in decaying organic material.

Decomposers in forest ecosystems through larval feeding on decaying wood and plant material. Some species are predators or parasitoids of other insects in specialized microhabitats such as figs. Seed predators of conifers in genus Earomyia. Gall-formers on certain plants. Associates of bark beetles, potentially utilizing their tunnels for development. Some species may function as predators of fig wasp larvae in male figs.

Several species are significant agricultural pests. Silba adipata (black fig fly) is a specialized pest of figs in the Mediterranean region and an invasive pest in California, Mexico, and South Africa. Neosilba species are fruit pests in the Neotropics, with N. perezi damaging cassava shoots. Dasiops passifloris infests passion fruit. Earomyia species are pests of fir and spruce seed production. Lonchaea chorea is a synanthropic species breeding in decaying organic matter. Monitoring protocols using McPhail-type traps with specific lures have been developed for pest species.

• PeriscelididaeSimilar acalyptrate flies, but distinguished by divided or interrupted subcostal vein versus entire subcostal vein in Lonchaeidae
• SapromyzidaeSimilar small acalyptrates, but distinguished by presence of preapical tibial bristles on all tibiae versus absence on at least anterior and posterior tibia in Lonchaeidae
• PallopteridaeSimilar in general appearance, but distinguished by absence of propleural bristle and concealed frontal lunule versus presence of propleural bristle and exposed lunule in Lonchaeidae

• acalyptrate
• Diptera
• phytophagous
• saprophagous
• mycophagous
• predatory
• agricultural pest
• forest insect
• woodland
• invasive species

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• Black Fig Fly: A New Invasive Pest in California
• FAMILY LONCHAEIDAE
• World Catalogue of the family Lonchaeidae (Diptera, Cyclorrhapha, Acalyptratae)
• A new species of Silba (Diptera; Lonchaeidae) associated with figs
• Lance Flies (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) Associated with Acca Sellowiana (Myrtaceae) in Lages, Santa Catarina, Brazil
• A new species of the genus Neosilba (Diptera: Lonchaeidae)
• A review of the Silba admirabilis McAlpine species group (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) with descriptions of thirteen new species from the Afrotropical region
• Two new species of Silba (Diptera; Lonchaeidae) from Japan with unusual larval development sites
• A new species of Protearomyia (Diptera, Lonchaeidae) with a review of the genus in the Palearctic
• Check the biodiversity of the Lonchaeidae Family (Diptera)
• The Black Fig Fly, Silba adipata (Diptera: Lonchaeidae): Current Knowledge and Future Research Needs for an Invasive Pest of Fig Production.
• Can Cuticular Hydrocarbons Be used as Chemotaxonomic Tool for Neosilba McAlpine (Diptera: Lonchaeidae)?
• Sexual Development of Silba adipata (Diptera: Lonchaeidae): Effects of Diet, Ultraviolet Light and Fig Latex.
• A Complex of Lance Flies (Diptera: Lonchaeidae) Infesting Figs in Veracruz, Mexico, with the Description of a New Species.