British Insects: the Families of Diptera
British Insects: the Families of Diptera |
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~Muscidae.
Non-parasitic.
Adult insects. Robustly-built. Antennae 2–6 segmented; ‘modified’. The second antennal segment distinctly grooved above. Ptilinal suture clearly defined. Eyes meeting above the antennae (in some males), or not meeting. Mouthparts functional. The maxillary palps 1 segmented; porrect. Thorax with the dorsal suture continuous across the middle; with well defined posterior calli. Hypopleural bristles absent. Wings with a discal cell; without a sub-apical cell; with a closed anal cell. The anal cell short. The costa unbroken. Sub-costa apparent; reaching the costa independently of vein 1. Wings without a sharp bend in vein 4. Vein 6 present; reaching the wing margin. Wings with a well developed lower calypter to with the lower calypter much reduced or absent. Hind tibiae with strong bristles in the basal 4/5. Visible abdominal segments 4, or 5. Neither parasitic nor predatory (mostly), or predatory (on other flies).
Larvae and pupae. Larvae terrestrial; phytophagous (mainly, including pests of onions, beans, etc.), or saprophagous (e.g., in rotting seaweed), or mycophagous (e.g., in in rotten wood), or predatory; acephalic. Pupa enclosed within a puparium.
Comments. Frons often with a pair of crossed bristles. Wings often with a costal spine.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Muscomorpha Schizophora Calyptratae; Superfamily Muscoidea.
British representation: Genera 29; 237 species.
Illustrations: • Anthomyia pluvialis (from Walker). Anthomyia pluvialis, with an antenna in detail. From Walker (1853, Plate XII), with 2mm scale added.
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 June 2008. http://delta-intkey.com’.
