Platypezidae Explained

Platypezidae is a family of true flies of the superfamily Platypezoidea. The more than 250 species are found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats. A common name is flat-footed flies, but this is also used for the closely related Opetiidae which were formerly included in the Platypezidae.^[1] ^[2]

Some genera formerly included here have been recognized as entirely unrelated, and now placed in the asilomorph family Atelestidae.

Description

For terms see Morphology of Diptera.

Platypezidae are minute to medium sized (1.5–6 mm) slender or robust flies. The male and female usually differ in colour. Males in particular are often all black, one or both sexes may be in part or all grey or yellow. Markings may be orange, grey or silver. The abdomen may have two colours. Males have holoptic eyes. The antenna has three segments, the third is the largest and bears a long, apical arista. The wing is clear or tinged (the area along the wing margin, around veins Sc and R1 is darkened in some genera). The wing has large anal lobe and the anal vein reaches the wing margin. The cell cup ends in an acute angle and is often elongate. Vein M is forked in most genera. The crossvein DM-Cu is present (absent in Microsania where crossvein R-M is also lacking). The legs are short and robust. The first tarsal segment is usually swollen in the male, slender in the female and the distal tarsal segments are cylindrical (the first tarsal segment of the hind leg is long and cylindrical in the subfamily Callomyiina). In the subfamily Platypezinae the first tarsal segment of the hind leg is short and laterally compressed, the distal are tarsal segments are also laterally compressed, in particular in the female.

The larva has a poorly differentiated, fairly unsclerotized head with short tuberclelike antennae located above rudimentary palpi and 11 body segments. It is amphipneustic (having only the anterior and posterior pairs of spiracle). The form is usually flattened, but in some species cylindrical. Most species have lateral marginal processes, typically with one pair on each body segment, except for segments 2 and 11, which have more. Smaller dorsal processes are present on segments 3–10. Segments 3–10 often bear bristles, but bristles are not present on segments 1,2, and 11. The spiracles are located on the ends of wrinkled tube-like spiracular processes, the anterior pair (prothoracic spiracle) are on segment 1 the posterior ones are on segment11 (anal segment) .

Biology

Members of the Platypezidae inhabit damp woodlands. Larvae are fungivores. Adult males form aerial swarms before mating using trees or bushes as swarm markers. Some species of Microsania Zetterstedt are attracted to wood smoke and wood ash. Adults may be found performing rapid erratic movements on broad leaves of both woody and herbaceous plants, evidently feeding on surface deposits.^[1] Adults are seen either on the wing or running about in an erratic fashion on the leaves of bushes in partially sunlit, dappled shade. They hover in swarms of dancing males in forest openings. The females are attracted to chosen males in such swarms, where aerial coupling begins and the paired flies settle with heads in opposite directions on low bushes until mating is over. Feeding platypezids move rapidly over leaves, occasionally stopping to ingest honeydew or other food. The first feeding episode begins at midmorning, ceases at a time later in the morning then resumes in the afternoon. These times corresponds to the times of the day when insectivorous birds are least likely to feed. The mid day rest is when the sun is at a specific angle (peculiar to each species) and the afternoon feeding episode begins when the sun sinks to the angle that initiated the rest in the morning.^[3]

Selected genera

Agathomyia Verrall, 1901^[4]
Bertamyia Kessel, 1970^[5]
Bolopus Enderlein, 1932
Callomyia Meigen, 1804^[6]
Calotarsa Townsend, 1894^[7]
Chydaeopeza Shatalkin, 1992^[8]
Grossoseta Kessel & Kirby, 1968^[9]
Lindneromyia Kessel, 1965^[10]
Melanderomyia Kessel, 1960^[11]
Metaclythia Kessel, 1952^[12]
Microsania Zetterstedt, 1837^[13]
Pamelamyia Kessel & Clopton, 1970^[14]
Paraplatypeza Kessel & Maggioncalda, 1968^[15]
Platypeza Meigen, 1803
Platypezina Wahlgren, 1910^[16]
Polyporivora Kessel & Maggioncalda, 1968^[15]
- Protoclythia Kessel, 1950^[17]
Seri Kessel & Kessel, 1966^[18]

Extinct genera

†Burmapeza Grimaldi 2018 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Calvopeza Grimaldi 2018 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Canadopeza Grimaldi 2018 Canadian amber, Foremost Formation, Canada, Campanian
†Chandleromyia Grimaldi 2018 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
†Electrosania Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999^[19] New Jersey amber, Turonian
†Eucallimyia Cockerell, 1911 Florissant Formation, Colorado, Eocene
†Lebambromyia Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 Lebanese amber, Barremian Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian (altetnatively considered indeterminate within Platypezoidea)
†Lebanopeza Grimaldi 2018 Lebanese amber, Barremian
†Maritulus Mostovski, 1995^[20] Zaza Formation, Russia, Aptian
†Mesopetia Zhang, 1987^[21]
†Oloplatypeza Mostovski, 1995 Ola Formation, Russia, Campanian
†Palaeopetia Zhang, 1987
†Parnasos Mostovski, 1995
†Promittor Mostovski, 1995
†Proplatypeza Mostovski, 1995 Dzun-Bain Formation, Mongolia, Aptian, Zaza Formation, Russia, Aptian

Species Lists

References

K. G. V. Smith, 1989 An introduction to the immature stages of British Flies. Diptera Larvae, with notes on eggs, puparia and pupae.Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects Vol 10 Part 14. pdf download manual (two parts Main text and figures index)

Notes and References

Book: Chandler, Peter J.. Platypezidae. 'In: Soós, Á. & Papp, L. (eds.). Catalogue of Palearctic Diptera. 7. 1991. Hungarian Natural History Museum. Budapest. 205–217.
Book: Chandler, Peter J.. The Flat-footed flies (Opetiidae and Platypezidae) of Europe. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica. 36. 2001. Brill. Leiden. 90-04-12023-8. 1–278.
Kessel E.L.,1981 Platypezidae. in: McAlpine J.F. (Ed.), Manual of Nearctic Diptera. Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, pp. 681-688.
Book: Verrall . G.H. . Platypezidae, Pipunculidae and Syrphidae of Great Britain. Vol. 8,In his British flies . 1901 . Gurney & Jackson . London . [i] + 691.
Kessel . E.L. . Bertamyia, a new genus of Platypezininae (Diptera, Platypezidae) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1971 . 28 . 185–190.
Book: Meigen . J.W. . Klassifikazion und Beschreibung der europäische n zweiflugeligen Insekten (Diptera Linn.). Erster Band. Abt. I. . 1804 . Reichard . Braunschweig [= Brunswick] . xxviii + pp. 1–152, Abt. II. vi + pp. 153–314 .
Townsend . C.H.T. . A very remarkable and anomalous syrphid, with peculiarly developed hind tarsi . The Canadian Entomologist . 1894 . 26 . 50–52 . 11 October 2020.
Shatalkin . A.I. . New and little-known Palaearctic Diptera of the families Platypezidae, Psilidae, and Lauxaniidae . Russian Ent. J. . 1993 . 1 . 59–74.
Kessel . E.L. . Kirby . M.F. . Grossoseta, a new genus related to Platypezinae Wahlgren, with notes on the distribution of the species of these genera in North America (Diptera: Platypezidae) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1968 . 26 . 17–31 . 13 October 2020.
Kessel . E.L. . Lindneromyia, a new genus of flat-footed flies, and the descriptions of two new species of Platypezidae from Africa (Diptera). (Ergebnisse der Deutschen Zoologischen Ostafrika-Expedition 1951/52. Gruppe Lindner - Stuttgart, Nr. 40 und Ergebnisse der Forchungsreise Lindner 1958/59 - Nr. 21) . Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde . 1965 . 143 . 1–6.
Kessel . E.L. . The systematic positions of Platycnema Zetterstedt and Melanderomyia, new genus, together with the description of the genotype of the latter (Diptera: Platypezidae) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1960 . 18 . 87–101 . 15 October 2020.
Kessel . E.L. . Metaclythia, a new genus of flat-footed flies, and the description of a new species (Diptera: Clythiidae) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1952 . 9 . 347–350 . 14 October 2020.
Zetterstedt . J. W. . Conspectus familiarum, generum et specierum dipterorum, in fauna insectorum Lapponica descriptorum . Isis (Oken's) . 1837 . 21 . 28–67.
Kessel . E.L. . Clopton . J.R. . The Platypezidae of the Ethiopian zoogeographic region, with descriptions of new species ad a new genus (Diptera) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1970 . 28 . 47–167.
Kessel . E.L. . Maggioncalda . E.A. . A revision of the genera of Platypezidae, with the descriptions of five new genera, and considerations of phylogeny, circumversion, and hypopygia (Diptera) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1968 . 26 . 33–106.
Wahlgren . E. . Zur kenntnis schwedischer Dipteren. II. . Entomologisk Tidskrift . 1910 . 31 . 28–34.
Kessel . E.L. . Protoclythia, a new genus of flat-footed flies, and the description of new species (Diptera: Clythiidae) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1950 . (1949) 7 . 3 . 257–275 . 17 October 2020.
Kessel . E.L. . Kessel . B.B. . Seri, a new genus of Platypezidae from North America (Diptera) . Wasmann Journal of Biology . 1966 . 24 . 97–100.
Grimaldi. D.A.. Cumming. J.M.. 1999. Brachyceran Diptera in Cretaceous ambers and Mesozoic diversification of the Eremoneura. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 239. 1–124.
Mostovski. M.B.. 1995. New representatives of Platypezidae (Diptera) from the Mesozoic and main directions in the evolution of the family. Paleontolog. Zhur.. 2. 106–118.
Zhang. J.F.. 1987. Four new genera of Platypezidae. Acta Palaeontologica Sinica. 26. 595–603.