| | Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera |
~Empididae. Including Ocydromiinae and Tachydromiinae, formerly referred to Empididae
Dancing-flies.
Adult insects. Very small to small; slender-bodied to robustly-built; stilt-legged, or not stilt-legged. Antennae 3 segmented; ‘modified’; with a non-annulated terminal segment; aristate, or not aristate; the arista apical. Ptilinal suture absent or weakly defined. Ocelli present; 3. Eyes rounded, well separated (and usually nicked in the inner margin, near the bases of the antennae). The maxillary palps 1 segmented, or 2 segmented; porrect. Wings with a discal cell (Tachydromiinae), or without a discal cell (usually, in the rest); without a sub-apical cell; with a closed anal cell, or without a closed anal cell. The anal cell when present, relatively long to short. Sub-costa apparent, or absent or only dubiously identifiable (e.g., Tachypeza?); if recognisable, terminating blind (e.g., Ocydromia, Tachydromia,Platypalpus, Hybos), or joining vein 1 well short of the costa (e.g., Syneches). Wing vein 6 present, or absent; reaching the wing margin, or falling short of the wing margin. Wings patterned, or unpatterned. Tibiae spurred (associated with capturing prey), or without spurs. Feet without a triple pad.
Larvae and pupae. The larvae hemicephalic. The pupae without a puparium.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Asilomorpha; Superfamily Empidoidea.
British representation. 175 species in Britain. Genera 20; Anthalia, Bicellaria, Chersodromia, Crossopalpus, Drapetis, Euthyneura, Hybos, Leptopeza, Ocydromia, Platypalpus, Oedalea, Oropezella, Stilpon, Symballophthalmus, Syndyas, Syneches, Tachydromia, Tachypeza, Trichina, Trichinomyia.
Illustrations. • Hybos grossipes: B. Ent. 661. • Hybos grossipes: B. Ent. 661, legend+text. • Hybos grossipes: B. Ent. 661, text cont.. • Bicellaria, Euthyneuria, Leptopeza, Ocydromia, Oedalea, Platypalpus, Trichina (from Walker). 3, Euthyneuria myrtilli, with details of head from side (3a), and antenna (3b). 4, Oedalea flavipes, with details of proboscis (4a), antenna (4b), and extremity of tarsus (4c). 5a and 5b, Trichina clavipes: head from the side (5a), and hind leg of male (5b). 6, Bicellaria spuria, male, and detail of antenna (6b). 7a, Leptopeza flavipes, antenna. 8, Ocydromia glabricula, female, with details of head from the side (8a); proboscis and palps from above (8b); ditto from the side, with one palp (8c); labrum in two views (8d and 8e); tip of the labella (8f); antenna (8g); wing base (8h); extremity of tarsus (8i); subulate empodiium (8k); vagina from above (8l); and oblique view of tentacula (8m). 9a and 9b, Platypus longicornis, head from the side and antenna. From Walker (1851, Plates III and IV), with approximate lengths (head to abdominal tip) indicated. • Chersodromia, Crossopalpus, Drapetis, Hybos, Platypalpus, Stilpon, Tachydromia (from Walker). 1, Hybos culiciformis, details: 1a, head from the side, (proboscis deflexed, but porrect in repose); 1b, extremity of the labium; 1c, proboscis, with epistoma and palps; 1d, proboscis from above, the palps reflexed to show the site of the rudimentary maxillae; 1e, ditto from the side, with one palp; 1f, ditto with palps removed, showing rudimentary maxillae, with labrum and lingua separated; 1g, lingua tip, from the side; 1h, lingua from above; 1i, claw-joint of the tarsus; 1k, antenna; and 1l, wing. 2, Platypalpus fasciatus, female. 2a-2k, Platypalpus pallidiventris: details of head from side (2a), proboscis with a palp (2b), ditto with labrum forced out (2c), labium (2d), labrum from the side (2e), ditto from below (2f), ditto with tip forced open (2g), antenna (2h), last joint of tarsus from above (21), and ditto from the side (2k). 3, Stilpon lunatus, female, with details of head from the side (1a), and antenna (1b). 3c-3f, Stilpon lunatus, male: extremity of abdomen from the side (3c), and detached parts of the male reproductive organs (3d-3f). 3g and 3h, Crossopalpus curvipes, head in side view and wing. 4, Drapetis ephippiata, female, with details of front of head with antennae detached (4a); and ditto from the side with antennae in situ. 5, Chersodromia hirta, female, with details of the head from the side (5a), an antenna (5b), and last joint of tarsus (5c). 6, Tachydromia aemula: head from the side (6a), antenna (6b), and wing (6c). From Walker (1851, Plate V), with approximate lengths (head to abdominal tip) indicated. • Crossopalpus curvipes (Tachydromiinae: Sea-coast Drapetis: B. Ent. 397). • Crossopalpus curvipes (detail: B. Ent. 397). • Crossopalpus curvipes (dissections: B. Ent. 397). • Crossopalpus curvipes: B. Ent. 397, legend+text. • Crossopalpus curvipes: B. Ent. 397, text cont.. • Tachydromia arrogans (Tachydromiinae: Black-banded Tachydromia: B. Ent. 477). • Tachydromia arrogans: B. Ent. 477, legend+text. • Tachydromia arrogans: B. Ent. 477, text cont..
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, 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. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
