Lonchopteridae
Guides
Platypezoidea
Platypezoidea is a superfamily of true flies within the section Aschiza of the suborder Brachycera. Adults lack the ptilinum—a sac-like structure used by Schizophora to emerge from the puparium—and therefore do not possess the characteristic inverted-U-shaped ptilinal suture above the antennae. The superfamily contains five families: Phoridae (coffin and scuttle flies), Opetiidae (flat-footed flies), Ironomyiidae (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.