British Insects: the Families of Diptera
| British Insects: the Families of Diptera | |
Omphralidae.
Window-flies.
Adult insects. Small. Antennae 3 segmented (pendulous, the two basal segments short and the third elongated); ‘modified’; the terminal segment not annulated. Antennae not aristate. Eyes meeting above the antennae, or not meeting. Mouthparts functional (proboscis very short); non-piercing. The maxillary palps 1 segmented, or 2 segmented; porrect. Wings with a discal cell (large); with a subapical cell; with a closed anal cell. The anal cell relatively long. Wings with 6 cells between vein 3 and the anal cell. Sub-costa apparent; reaching the costa independently of vein 1. Vein 3 distally forked. Vein 6 present; reaching the wing margin, or falling short of the wing margin. Vein 7 present; falling short of the wing margin. Wings with the lower calypter much reduced or absent. Feet without a triple pad.
Larvae and pupae. Larvae terrestrial; saprophagous (in rotting vegetation and birds' nests), or predatory (on other insect larvae); hemicephalic. Pupa without a puparium.
Comments. Small, sturdy, narrowly-oblong, black flies without bristles. Resting with wings parallel over the abdomen.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Asilomorpha; Superfamily Asiloidea.
British representation: Genera 1; 2 species.
Illustrations: • Scenopinus fenestralis (from Walker).
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’.
