Pipunculidae
Guides
Cephalops
A genus of small flies in the family Pipunculidae with cosmopolitan distribution. Species are known to be endoparasitoids of planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae). Adult females locate hosts by detecting substrate-borne vibrations produced by host calls. The genus contains over 150 described species, with new species continuing to be described from under-sampled regions.
Dorylomorpha
Dorylomorpha is a genus of big-headed flies (family Pipunculidae) established by Aczél in 1939. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution across Eurasia and the Americas, with notable absence from the Afrotropics. It contains approximately 80 described species, with significant taxonomic work conducted on South American fauna. Two subgenera—Monticola and Paramuna—were recently described from the Neotropics alongside 11 new species.
Elmohardyia
Elmohardyia is a genus of big-headed flies in the family Pipunculidae, established by Rafael in 1987. The genus contains approximately 60 described species distributed primarily in the Neotropical region, with most species described from Brazil. Species within this genus are characterized by distinctive morphological features of the male genitalia, which form the basis for species-level identification. The genus was named in honor of the dipterist D. Elmo Hardy, who contributed extensively to the taxonomy of Pipunculidae.
Eudorylini
Eudorylini is a tribe of big-headed flies within the family Pipunculidae. The tribe comprises at least eight described genera, including the type genus Eudorylas. Members of this tribe are parasitoids, with larvae developing inside other insects. The tribe is distinguished from related groups by specific morphological characteristics of the head and genitalia.
Nephrocerinae
Nephrocerinae is a subfamily of big-headed flies within the family Pipunculidae. The group contains at least two described genera: the extant Nephrocerus (tribe Nephrocerini) and the fossil genus †Priabona from the Eocene Florissant Formation. Members of this subfamily are parasitoids, though specific host associations remain poorly documented compared to other pipunculid lineages.
Pipunculus
Pipunculus is a genus of flies in the family Pipunculidae with cosmopolitan distribution. Members are internal parasites of planthoppers in the family Delphacidae (Homoptera). The genus has been documented in Europe, Australia, Fiji, and North America. At least one species, Pipunculus semifumosus, has been studied for its parasitic effects on host size and reproductive structures.
Pipunculus houghi
Pipunculus houghi is a species of big-headed fly in the family Pipunculidae, described by Kertész in 1900. As a member of Pipunculus, it is an endoparasitoid of true bugs (Hemiptera). The species is part of a diverse genus of parasitoid flies that exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism in head size.
Tomosvaryella
big-headed flies
Tomosvaryella is a genus of big-headed flies in the family Pipunculidae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and is taxonomically well-studied in multiple regions. It contains over 100 species in Australia alone, with substantial diversity also documented in the Middle East, Colombia, and other regions. Species-level taxonomy relies heavily on morphological characters and mitochondrial COI barcode sequence data.