Acalyptratae
Guides
Anthomyzidae
Anthomyzid Flies
Anthomyzidae are small, slender acalyptrate flies ranging from yellow to black in coloration. The family comprises fewer than 100 described species distributed across approximately 13 genera, with highest diversity in the Holarctic region. Members are characterized by narrow, elongated wings that may display distinct markings or, in some species, exhibit wing polymorphism with greatly reduced wings. The family has been recorded from all major biogeographic regions including the Nearctic, Palaearctic, Oriental, Afrotropical, Australian, and Oceanian regions, with recent discoveries extending its known range to New Zealand and China.
Carnoidea
Carnoidea is a superfamily of acalyptrate flies (Diptera: Schizophora) comprising approximately ten families of small, often inconspicuous flies. Members are typically only a few millimeters in length and occupy diverse ecological niches including seashores, decaying organic matter, and specialized habitats such as bee nests and bat caves. The superfamily's monophyly remains tentative; while some morphological synapomorphies of the male genitalia have been proposed, molecular analyses suggest potential polyphyly with constituent families showing closer relationships to other superfamilies.
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyCladochaeta
Cladochaeta is a genus of small flies in the family Drosophilidae, established by Coquillett in 1900. The genus belongs to the tribe Cladochaetini and is part of the diverse acalyptrate fly radiation. At least one species has been documented from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in association with spittlebug nymphs. The genus is morphologically and ecologically distinct from the homonymous plant genus in Asteraceae.
Loewimyia
Loewimyia is a genus of small flies in the family Asteiidae, established by Curtis W. Sabrosky in 1943. The genus belongs to a family of minute acalyptrate Diptera that are often overlooked due to their size. Species within Asteiidae are generally associated with decaying vegetation and fungi. Loewimyia appears to be a relatively obscure genus with limited published biological information.
Richardiidae
Richardiidae is a small family of acalyptrate flies in the superfamily Tephritoidea, comprising over 30 genera and approximately 175 species. The family is predominantly Neotropical in distribution, with most species occurring in tropical regions of the Americas. General biology remains poorly known, though larvae of some species feed on living plant tissue, pollen, or decaying plant material. Adults are frequently observed on vegetation and are characterized by conspicuously patterned wings and often metallic body coloration.
Sphaeroceridae
lesser dung flies, small dung flies, lesser corpse flies
Sphaeroceridae is a family of true flies (Diptera) in the section Schizophora, subsection Acalyptratae. The family contains over 1,300 species in approximately 125 genera, making it a diverse group of small to minute flies. Members are characterized by saprophagous habits, typically associated with decomposing organic matter including dung, carrion, and decaying plant material. They occur worldwide except in regions with permanent ice cover.