Pipunculidae Explained

Pipunculidae is a family of flies (Diptera) commonly termed big-headed flies,^[1] a reference to the large (holoptic) eyes, which cover nearly the entire head. The family is found worldwide and more than 1300 species have been described.

The larvae of Pipunculidae develop as parasitoids almost exclusively in Auchenorrhyncha, the exception being the genus Nephrocerus, whose hosts are adult Tipulidae (crane flies). The larvae develop rapidly within the crane flies before pupating in the soil.^[2] In all pipunculids there are only two larval stages. Some species are used as biological control agents in rice fields.

Evolution

Molecular analysis show that Pipunculidae appeared in the Maastrichtian age of the Cretaceous. The oldest fossils of this group were found in the Eocene formations. North American Metanephrocerus belgardeae and Priabona florissantius were collected from the Ypresian and Priabonian deposits, respectively. Younger specimens of Pipunculidae were discovered in the Miocene Dominican amber.^[3]

Taxonomy

Taxonomy as shown at the Tree of life,^[4] with modification based on Kehlmaier, Dierick and Skevington (2014).^[5] The name Pipunculidae is derived from the type genus Pipunculus which is thought to be derived from Latin pepo for pumpkin, thus pipunculus would mean "little pumpkin", referring to the large heads.^[6]

Subfamily Chalarinae

• Genus Chalarus Walker, 1834^[7]
• Genus Jassidophaga Aczél, 1939^[8]
• Genus Protoverrallia Aczél, 1948 Baltic amber Eocene (Priabonian)
• Genus Verrallia Mik, 1899^[9]

Subfamily Nephrocerinae

• Tribe Nephrocerini
  • Genus Nephrocerus Zetterstedt, 1838^[10]
• Tribe incertae sedis
  • Genus Priabona Archibald, Kehlmaier & Mathewes, 2014 Florissant Formation, Eocene (Priabonian)

Subfamily Protonephrocerinae

• Genus Protonephrocerus Collin, 1931^[11]
• Genus Metanephrocerus Carpenter & Hull, 1939 Klondike Mountain Formation,Washington, Eocene (Ypresian) Baltic amber Eocene (Priabonian)

Subfamily Pipunculinae

• Tribe Cephalopsini
  • Genus Cephalops Fallén, 1810^[12]
  • Genus Cephalosphaera Enderlein, 1936^[13]
• Tribe Microcephalopsini
  • Genus Collinias Aczél, 1940^[14]
  • Genus Microcephalops De Meyer, 1989^[15]
• Tribe Eudorylini
  • Genus Allomethus Hardy, 1943^[16]
  • Genus Amazunculus Rafael, 1986^[17]
  • Genus Basileunculus Rafael, 1987^[18]
  • Genus Claraeola Aczél, 1940^[14]
  • Genus Clistoabdominalis Skevington, 2001^[19]
  • Genus Dasydorylas Skevington, 2001^[19]
  • Genus Elmohardyia Rafael, 1987^[20]
  • Genus Eudorylas Aczél, 1940^[14]
• Tribe Tomosvaryellini
  • Genus Dorylomorpha Aczél, 1939^[8]
  • Genus Tomosvaryella Aczél, 1939^[8]
• Tribe Pipunculini
  • Genus Pipunculus Latreille, 1802^[21]

See also

• List of Pipunculidae species of Great Britain

External links

• Kehlmaier on Pipunculidae Dedicated site
• Scientific paper on Pipunculidae with structural diagrams
• Images at BugGuide
• Gallery at Diptera.info
• Family Pipunculidae at EOL Image Gallery
• West Palaearctic including Russia
• Nearctic
• Japan
• World list

Notes and References

1. Book: Coe . R.L. . Pipunculidae . Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects . 1966 . 10 . 2c . 83 . 22 July 2022.
2. Koenig, D.P. & C.W. Young.. January 2007. First observation of parasitic relations between bigheaded flies of the genus Nephrocerus (Diptera: Pipunculidae) and crane flies of the genus Tipula (Diptera: Tupulidae: Tipulinae), with larval and puparial descriptions of Nephrocerus atrapilus Skevington.. 52–65. Allen Press/The Entomological Society of Washington. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 109. 1 . Washington DC. 0013-8797.
3. Archibald . SB . Kehlmaier . C . Mathewes . RW . 2014 . Early Eocene big headed flies (Diptera: Pipunculidae) from the Okanagan Highlands, western North America . The Canadian Entomologist . 146 . 4 . 429–443 . 10.4039/tce.2013.79.
4. http://tolweb.org/Pipunculidae Pipunculidae at the Tree of life
5. Kehlmaier . C . Dierick . M . Skevington . JH . 2014 . Micro-CT studies of amber inclusions reveal internal genitalic features of big-headed flies, enabling a systematic placement of Metanephrocerus Aczel, 1948 (Insecta: Diptera: Pipunculidae) . Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny . 72 . 1 . 23–36. 10.3897/asp.72.e31784 . free .
6. Cameron, H. D. . 1974. The Etymology of the Names Pipunculus Latreille and Dorilas Meigen (Diptera, Pipunculidae). The Great Lakes Entomologist. 7 . 1. 31–32.
7. Walker . F. . Observations on the British species of Pipunculidae . Entomological Magazine . 1834 . 2 . 262–270 . 22 July 2022.
8. Aczél . M.L. . Das System der Familie Dorylaidae. Dorylaiden-Studien I . Zoologischer Anzeiger . 1939 . 125 . 15–23.
9. Mik . J. . Verrallia nov. gen. Pipunculidarum (Dipt.) . Wiener Entomologische Zeitung . 1899 . 18 . 133–137 . 22 July 2022.
10. Book: Zetterstedt . J. W. . Dipterologis Scandinaviae. Sect. 3: Diptera, pp. 477-868. In his Insecta Lapponica . 1838 . Lipsiae [= Leipzig] . vi + 1,140.
11. Collin . J.E. . Platypezidae, Pipunculidae . Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile . 1931 . 3 . 49–61.
12. Book: Fallen . C.F. . Specim. entomolog. novam Diptera disponendi methodum exhibens. . 1810 . Berlingianis . Lund . 26 pp.,1 pl . 10 January 2022.
13. Book: Enderlein . G. . 22. Ordnung: Zweiflugler, Diptera. Abt. 16, pp. 1-259 [= lfg. 2, in part]. In Brohmer, P., Ehrmann, P. & Ulmer, G. (eds.), Die Tierwelt Mitteleuropas. Vol. 6. Insekten. III. Teil., . . 1936 . Quelle & Meyer . Leipzig.
14. Aczél . M.L. . Vorarbeiten zu einer Monographie der Dorylaiden (Diptera). Dorylaiden-Studien V . Zoologischer Anzeiger . 1940 . 132 . 149–169.
15. De Meyer . Marc . Systematics of the Nearctic species of the genus Cephalops Fallen (Diptera, Pipunculidae) . Bulletin de l'Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, Entomologie . 1990 . (1989) 69 . 99–130 . 28 July 2022.
16. Hardy . D.E. . A revision of Nearctic Dorilaidae (Pipunculidae) . Kansas University Science Bulletin . 1943 . 29 . 1 . 3–231 8 pl.
17. Rafael . J.A. . Amazunculus, a new genus of pipunculid from the Amazon basin (Diptera, Pipunculidae) . Amazoniana . 1986 . 10 . 1 . 15–19.
18. Rafael . J.A. . Basileunculus, um genero novo de Pipunculidae (Diptera) da regiao neotropical com chave para as especies . Acta Amazonica . 1987 . 16/17 . 627–634 . 10.1590/1809-43921987171634 . 28 July 2022. free .
19. Skevington . J.H. . Yeates . D.K. . Phylogenetic classification of Eudorylini (Diptera: Pipunculidae) . Systematic Entomology . 2001 . 26 . 4 . 421–452. 10.1046/j.0307-6970.2001.00160.x . 83367723 .
20. Rafael . J.A. . . Two new genera of Pipunculidae (Diptera) from the New World: Metadorylas, gen. n. and Elmohardyia gen. n., with synonyms, designation of lectotypes and revalidation of a species. . Revista Brasileira de Entomologia . 1987 . 31 . 35–39.
21. Book: Latreille . P.A. . Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere, des crustaces et des insectes. Tome troisieme . 1802 . Dufart . Paris . xii + 13–467 + 1 pp.