British Insects: the Families of Diptera
| British Insects: the Families of Diptera | |
Helomyzidae, Heteromyzidae.
Adult insects. Small to medium-sized. Antennae 3 segmented (the third segment short and rounded); ‘modified’. Antennae aristate; the bristle dorsal. The second antennal segment not grooved. Ptilinal suture clearly defined. Ocelli present; 3. Post-vertical orbital bristles present; convergent. Mouthparts functional. The maxillary palps 1 segmented; porrect. Vibrissae present. Thorax without a continuous dorsal suture; without well defined posterior calli. Wings with a discal cell; without a sub-apical cell; with a closed anal cell. The anal cell short. The costa unbroken, or with one break (weakened or broken at the end of the sub-costa, and bearing a series of spines). Sub-costa apparent; reaching the costa independently of vein 1, or terminating blind. The leading edge veins not noticeably stronger than the rest. Wings without a ‘vena spuria’. Vein 6 present; reaching the wing margin. Wings with the lower calypter much reduced or absent; patterned, or unpatterned. Tibiae with a dorsal pre-apical bristle. Hind tibiae with strong bristles in the basal 4/5 (?), or without strong bristles in the basal 4/5.
Larvae and pupae. Larvae terrestrial; saprophagous, or coprophagous, or mycophagous (some found in nests of birds and mammals, and in caves); acephalic. Pupa enclosed within a puparium.
Comments. Small to medium sized yellowish, brownish or grey flies, the costa ot the wing bearing a series of spines. Associated with decaying animal or vegetable matter, especially carrion.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Muscomorpha Schizophora Acalyptratae; Superfamily Sphaeroceroidea.
British representation: Genera 17; 62 species.
Illustrations: • Heleomyza, Suillia (from Walker). • Suillia flava (Red-thoraxed Helomyza: B. Ent. 545). • Suillia flava (detail: B. Ent. 545). • Suillia flava (dissections: B. Ent. 545). • Suillia flava (B. Ent. 545, legend+text).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Diptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
