Exoristinae
Guides
Acantholespesia
Acantholespesia is a genus of tachinid flies described by Wood in 1987. The genus contains three described species: A. comstocki, A. signata, and A. texana. Members are parasitoid flies, with A. texana documented as a parasitoid of the moth Comadia redtenbacheri. The genus belongs to the tribe Eryciini within the subfamily Exoristinae.
Admontia
Admontia is a genus of tachinid flies established by Brauer & Bergenstamm in 1889. The genus contains approximately 35 described species distributed across multiple continents. As members of the family Tachinidae, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations for most Admontia species remain poorly documented. The genus is classified within the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Blondeliini.
Admontia pergandei
Admontia pergandei is a species of tachinid fly in the family Tachinidae. The species was described by Coquillett in 1895 and is currently accepted as valid. Tachinid flies are parasitoids whose larvae develop inside or on other insects.
Atacta
Atacta is a genus of tachinid flies established by Schiner in 1868. The genus contains four described species distributed in the Neotropical region. Like other members of the tribe Goniini, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations for Atacta species remain poorly documented.
Belvosia canadensis
Belvosia canadensis is a species of bristle fly in the family Tachinidae, described by Curran in 1927. As a tachinid fly, it is likely an endoparasitoid of other insects, though specific host records for this species remain undocumented. The species occurs in North America, with records from both Canada and the United States.
Chaetogaedia
Chaetogaedia is a genus of tachinid flies comprising approximately 14 described species. The genus was established by Brauer & Bergenstamm in 1891 and is classified within the tribe Goniini of the subfamily Exoristinae. Species are distributed across the Americas, with records from North, Central, and South America. As with other tachinids, members are presumed to be parasitoids, though specific host associations for most species remain undocumented.
Cryptomeigenia illinoiensis
Cryptomeigenia illinoiensis is a species of tachinid fly in the family Tachinidae. The species was described by Townsend in 1892 and is currently accepted in taxonomic databases. As a member of the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Blondeliini, it belongs to a group of parasitoid flies that develop in or on other insects. The genus Cryptomeigenia contains species that are known parasitoids of various insect hosts.
Distichona
Distichona is a genus of tachinid flies in the family Tachinidae, subfamily Exoristinae, tribe Goniini. The genus was established by Wulp in 1890 and contains eight described species distributed across the Americas. As a member of the Tachinidae, species in this genus are presumably parasitoids, though specific host associations remain undocumented. The genus is rarely encountered, with minimal observational records available.
Eryciini
Eryciini is a tribe of tachinid flies comprising approximately 128 genera. The tribe serves as a repository for exoristine taxa that cannot be placed into other tribes, resulting in a polyphyletic assemblage. Members are parasitoids of Lepidoptera larvae, with documented associations to caterpillars in families Crambidae, Notodontidae, Noctuidae, Pyralidae, and Tortricidae. A new genus, Santarosamyia, was described in 2024 from Costa Rica based on specimens reared from wild-caught caterpillars.
Ethillini
Ethillini is a tribe of tachinid flies within the subfamily Exoristinae. The tribe comprises approximately 13 genera distributed across multiple continents. Members are parasitoid flies, with larvae developing in or on other insects. The tribe was established to accommodate genera with shared morphological characteristics related to adult head structure and male terminalia.
Gonia
Cutworm Flies
Gonia is a genus of tachinid flies (family Tachinidae) established by Meigen in 1803. These flies are parasitoids, with larvae developing inside other insects. The genus is placed in the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Goniini. As with other tachinids, Gonia species are likely important biological control agents of various insect pests, though specific ecological details for the genus as a whole remain poorly documented in available sources.
Gonia fuscicollis
Gonia fuscicollis is a tachinid fly species described by Tothill in 1924. It belongs to the tribe Goniini within the subfamily Exoristinae. The species is recorded from North America, specifically the United States and Canada. Like other tachinid flies, it is presumed to be a parasitoid, though specific host records for this species are not documented in the available sources.
Goniini
Goniini is a tribe of tachinid flies distinguished by their unique reproductive strategy. Members are parasitoids that deposit minute "microtype" eggs, which must be ingested by a host to hatch. This egg type represents a key evolutionary adaptation within the Tachinidae family.
Hyphantrophaga virilis
Hyphantrophaga virilis is a tachinid fly (family Tachinidae) known to parasitize caterpillars of the California Oak Moth (Phryganidia californica). The species was described in 1924 and occurs in North America. Like other tachinid flies, it develops as an internal parasitoid, eventually killing its host. Records indicate it is one of several parasitoids associated with oak moth population dynamics along the California coast and in Oregon.
Lespesia samiae
Lespesia samiae is a species of tachinid fly in the family Tachinidae. It belongs to the genus Lespesia, which includes parasitoid flies that attack lepidopteran caterpillars. The species was described by Webber in 1930 and is known to occur in North America. Like other members of its genus, it likely functions as an internal parasitoid of moth or butterfly larvae, though specific host records for this species are not well documented in the provided sources.
Medina
Medina is a genus of tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) in the tribe Blondeliini, subfamily Exoristinae. Established by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830, this genus comprises parasitoid flies whose larvae develop inside other insects. The genus is distributed across parts of Europe, with records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Like other tachinids, Medina species are likely important biological control agents, though specific details about host associations and biology remain poorly documented in available literature.
Mystacella
Mystacella is a genus of tachinid flies established by Wulp in 1890. It comprises nine described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. As members of the tribe Goniini within subfamily Exoristinae, these flies are parasitoids whose larvae develop inside other insects. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including facial bristle patterns.
Onychogonia
Onychogonia is a genus of tachinid flies established by Brauer & Bergenstamm in 1889. The genus belongs to the tribe Goniini within the subfamily Exoristinae. Seven species are currently recognized, distributed across northern Europe including Norway and Sweden. As with other tachinid genera, members are presumed to be parasitoids of other insects, though specific host relationships remain undocumented.
Phryxe vulgaris
Phryxe vulgaris is a species of tachinid fly distributed across a broad geographic range spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. As a member of the family Tachinidae, it is a parasitoid fly, though specific host relationships for this species are not well documented in the available literature. The species was first described by Fallén in 1810 under the basionym Tachina vulgaris.
Phyllophilopsis
Phyllophilopsis is a genus of tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) established by Townsend in 1915. The genus contains at least 16 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region. Species have been recorded from various localities including Mexico, Central America, and South America. As members of the tribe Blondeliini, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented.
Platymya
Platymya is a genus of tachinid flies (family Tachinidae) established by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830. The genus contains four recognized species distributed in the Holarctic region. As members of the tribe Goniini, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations for most species remain poorly documented.
Smidtia fumiferanae
Smidtia fumiferanae is a tachinid fly species described by Tothill in 1912. It belongs to the tribe Winthemiini within the subfamily Exoristinae. The species epithet 'fumiferanae' indicates an association with Choristoneura fumiferana, the spruce budworm, suggesting it may be a parasitoid of this economically important forest pest. The species has been recorded in GBIF with limited observation data.
Spallanzania
Spallanzania is a genus of tachinid flies (Diptera: Tachinidae) established by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830. The genus comprises approximately 15 described species distributed across multiple continents. As members of the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Goniini, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented for most species. The genus name has been occasionally confused with the mantis species Ameles spallanzania, which is taxonomically unrelated.
Winthemiini
Winthemiini is a tribe of tachinid flies (family Tachinidae, subfamily Exoristinae). The tribe comprises approximately 11 genera, including the type genus Winthemia and the widespread genus Nemorilla. Members are parasitoid flies, though specific host associations remain incompletely documented for many species. The tribe has a global distribution with records spanning multiple continents.
Zaira
Zaira is a genus of parasitic flies in the family Tachinidae, first described by Robineau-Desvoidy in 1830. The genus comprises tachinid flies whose larvae develop as parasitoids of adult beetles. Members are classified within the subfamily Exoristinae and tribe Blondeliini.