Empidinae Explained

Empidinae, also called dance flies,^[1] are a subfamily of empidoid flies. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives, and generally small to medium-sized. Most species are flower visitors and they can be effective pollinators.^[2]

Description

Most dance fly species perform lek mating, where males give courtship gifts to females. About a third of such species also have sex-specific markings, which include pinnate leg scales, darkened or enlarged wings, and inflatable abdominal air sacs.

Genera

• Afroempis Smith, 1969^[3]
• Allochrotus Collin, 1933^[4]
• Amictoides Bezzi, 1909^[5]
• Aplomera Macquart, 1838
• Atrichopleura Bezzi, 1909^[5]
• Bandella Bickel, 2002^[6]
• Calohilara Frey, 1952^[7]
• Clinorhampha Collin, 1933^[4]
• Cunomyia Bickel, 1998^[8]
• Deuteragonista Philippi, 1865^[9]
• Empidadelpha Collin, 1928^[10]
• Empis Linnaeus, 1758^[11]
• Gynatoma Collin, 1928^[10]
• Hilara Meigen, 1822^[11]
• Hilarempis Bezzi, 1905^[12]
• Hilarigona Collin, 1933^[4]
• Hybomyia Plant, 1995^[13]
• Hystrichonotus Collin, 1933^[4]
• Lamprempis Wheeler & Melander, 1901^[14]
• Macrostomus Wiedemann, 1817
• Opeatocerata Melander, 1928^[15]
• Pasitrichotus Collin, 1933^[4]
• Porphyrochroa Melander, 1928^[15]
• Rhamphella Malloch, 1930^[16]
• Rhamphomyia Meigen, 1822^[11]
• Sphicosa Philippi, 1865^[9]
• Thinempis Bickel, 1996^[17]
• Trichohilara Collin, 1933^[4]

Notes and References

1. Murray . Rosalind L. . Herridge . Elizabeth J. . Ness . Rob W. . Bussière . Luc F. . 2017-06-13 . Are sex ratio distorting endosymbionts responsible for mating system variation among dance flies (Diptera: Empidinae)? . PLOS ONE . en . 12 . 6 . e0178364 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0178364 . free . 1932-6203 . 5469461 . 28609446. 2017PLoSO..1278364M .
2. Lefebvre V, Daugeron C, Villemant C, Fontaine C . Empidine dance flies pollinate the woodland geranium as effectively as bees . Biology Letters . 15 . 7 . 20190230 . July 2019 . 31362609 . 6684995 . 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0230 .
3. Smith . Kenneth G. V. . The Empididae of southern Africa (Diptera) . Annals of the Natal Museum . 1969 . 19 . 1–342.
4. Collin . James Edward . Empididae . . 1933 . 4 . viii + 334.
5. Bezzi . M. . Beitrage zur Kenntnis der sudamerikanischen Dipterenfauna Fam. Empididae . Nova Acta Physico-medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosum . 1909 . 91 . 297–406.
6. Bickel . Daniel J. . Bandella, a new hilarine fly genus from Australia (Diptera: Empididae) . Records of the Australian Museum . 2002 . 54 . 3 . 313–324 . 10.3853/j.0067-1975.54.2002.1369 . 27 April 2019.
7. Frey . R. . Studien über ostasiatische Hilara-Arten (Diptera, Empididae) . Notulae Ent. . 1952 . 32 . 119–143.
8. Bickel . D. J. . Cunomyia, a distinctive new hilarine fly genus from the Tasmanian World Heritage Area (Diptera: Empididae) . Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania . 1998 . 132 . 59–63 . 10.26749/rstpp.132.59 . 27 April 2019.
9. Philippi . Rodolfo Amando . Aufzahlung der chilenischen Dipteren . Abhandlungen der Zool.-Botan. Gesellschaft in Wien. . 1865 . 15 . 595–782 . 28 April 2019.
10. Book: Collin . James Edward . New Zealand Empididae based on material in the British Museum (Natural History) . 1928 . British Museum (Natural History) . London . viii + 110.
11. Book: Chandler, Peter J. . 1998 . Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series) Part 1: Diptera . . 12 . 1 . 234 . 0-901546-82-8 . . London .
12. Bezzi . Mario . Empididae neotropicae Musei nationalis Hungarici . Annales Musei historico-naturalis hungarici . 1905 . 3 . 2 . 424–460 . 28 April 2019.
13. Plant . Adrian R. . A new genus of Empidinae (Diptera: Empididae) from New Zealand . New Zealand Entomologist . 1995 . 18 . 1. 25–28 . 10.1080/00779962.1995.9721998 . 1995NZEnt..18...25P .
14. Wheeler . William Morton . Melander . Axel Leonard. Empidae . Biol.Centr.-Am., Ins.: Dipt. 1(Suppl.) . 366–376.
15. Book: Melander . Axel Leonard . Diptera. Fam. Empididae. In Wytsman, P., ed. . 1928 . Genera insectorum. . Bruxelles. 185 . 1–434.
16. Malloch . John Russell . Notes on Australian Diptera.XXV . Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales . 1930 . 55 . 429–450 . 6 May 2019.
17. Bickel . Daniel J. . Thinempis, a new genus from Australia and New Zealand (Diptera: Empididae), with notes on the tribal classification of the Empidinae. . Systematic Entomology . 1996 . 21 . 2 . 115–128. 10.1046/j.1365-3113.1996.d01-2.x . 1996SysEn..21..115B . 82738771 .