The Acalyptratae or Acalyptrata are a subsection of the

Schizophora The Schizophora are a section of true flies containing 78 families, which are collectively referred to as muscoids, although technically the term "muscoid" should be limited to flies in the superfamily Muscoidea; this is an example of informal, ...

, which are a section of the order Diptera, the "true flies". In various contexts the Acalyptratae also are referred to informally as the acalyptrate muscoids, or acalyptrates, as opposed to the

Calyptratae Calyptratae is a subsection of Schizophora in the insect order Diptera, commonly referred to as the calyptrate muscoids (or simply calyptrates). It consists of those flies which possess a calypter that covers the halteres, among which are some ...

. All forms of the name refer to the lack of

calypter A calypter is either of two posterior lobes of the posterior margin of the forewing of flies between the extreme posterior wing base and the alula, which covers the halteres. The lower calypter is the proximal calypter (synonyms: squama (of ...

s in the members of this subsection of flies. An alternative name, Acalypterae is current, though in minority usage. It was first used by

Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart (8 April 1778 – 25 November 1855) was a French entomologist specialising in the study of Diptera. He worked on world species as well as European and described many new species. Biography Early years Macquart was ...

in 1835 for a section of his tribe Muscides; he used it to refer to all acalyptrates plus scathophagids and phorids, but excluding

Conopidae The Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the bi ...

. The confusing forms of the names stem from their first usage; ''Acalyptratae'' and ''Acalyptrata'' actually are adjectival forms in

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

. They were coined in the mid 19th century in contexts such as "Muscae Calyptratae and Acalyptratae" and "Diptera Acalyptrata", and the forms stuck. The Acalyptratae are a large assemblage, exhibiting very diverse habits, with one notable and perhaps surprising exception: no known acalyptrates are obligate blood-feeders (

hematophagous Hematophagy (sometimes spelled haematophagy or hematophagia) is the practice by certain animals of feeding on blood (from the Greek words αἷμα ' "blood" and φαγεῖν ' "to eat"). Since blood is a fluid tissue rich in nutritious pro ...

), though blood feeding at various stages of the life history is common throughout other Dipteran sections.

Classification

The classification of the Acalyptratae has varied over time, and the below list is likely to change in future. *Subsection Acalyptratae **Superfamily

Conopoidea The Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the biog ...

***

**Superfamily

Tephritoidea The Tephritoidea are a superfamily of flies. It has over 7,800 species, the majority of them in family Tephritidae. The following families are included: * Ctenostylidae * Eurygnathomyiidae * Lonchaeidae - lance flies * Pallopteridae — flutt ...

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Ctenostylidae The enigmatic fly family Ctenostylidae is a small group of very rare flies formerly included in the family Pyrgotidae (as the subfamily "Lochmostyliinae"); the principal reason for their inclusion in the Pyrgotidae was the absence of ocelli, a fe ...

*** Eurygnathomyiidae ***

Lonchaeidae The Lonchaeidae are a family of acalyptrate flies commonly known as lance flies. About 500 described species are placed into 9 genera. These are generally small but robustly built flies with blue-black or metallic bodies. They are found, mainly ...

*** Pallopteridae ***

Piophilidae The Piophilidae are a family of "true flies", in the order Diptera. The so-called cheese flies are the best-known members, but most species of the Piophilidae are scavengers in animal products, carrion, and fungi. They may accordingly be import ...

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Platystomatidae The Platystomatidae (signal flies) are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea. Signal flies are worldwide in distribution, found in all the biogeographic realms, but predominate in the tropics. It is one of the ...

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Pyrgotidae The Pyrgotidae are an unusual family of flies (Diptera), one of only two families of Cyclorrhapha that lack ocelli. Most species are "picture-winged" (i.e., have patterns of bands or spots on the wings), as is typical among the Tephritoidea, but ...

*** Richardiidae ***

Tephritidae The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus ''Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a ge ...

(including Tachiniscidae) ***

Ulidiidae The Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) or picture-winged flies are a large and diverse cosmopolitan family of flies (Diptera), and as in related families, most species are herbivorous or detritivorous. They are often known as picture-winged flies, alo ...

**Superfamily

Nerioidea Nerioidea is a superfamily of Acalyptratae flies. Description As flies, Nerioidea undergo complete metamorphosis with the four life stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The adult stage has three body segments (head, thorax and abdomen), thre ...

*** Cypselosomatidae *** Fergusoninidae ***

Micropezidae The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and five subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island).McAlpine, D.K. (199 ...

*** Neriidae *** Pseudopomyzidae *** Strongylophthalmyiidae *** Tanypezidae **Superfamily

Diopsoidea The Diopsoidea are a small but diverse cosmopolitan superfamily of acalyptrate muscoids, especially prevalent in the tropics. Some flux exists in the family constituency of this group, with the Strongylophthalmyiidae and Tanypezidae formerly bei ...

***

Diopsidae Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by most members of the family possessing "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. Some fly species f ...

*** Gobryidae *** Megamerinidae *** Nothybidae ***

Psilidae The Psilidae are family of flies. Commonly called the rust flies, at least 38 species are in four genera. The carrot fly (''Chamaepsila rosae'') is a member of this group. They are found mainly in the Holarctic. Description For terms see Morpholo ...

*** Somatiidae *** Syringogastridae **Superfamily

Sciomyzoidea Sciomyzoidea is a superfamily of Acalyptratae flies. The families placed here include at least the following: * Coelopidae – seaweed flies * Dryomyzidae * Helcomyzidae * Helosciomyzidae * Heterocheilidae * Huttoninidae * Natalimyzidae ...

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Coelopidae The Coelopidae or kelp flies are a family of Acalyptratae flies (order Diptera), they are sometimes also called seaweed flies, though both terms are used for a number of seashore Diptera. Fewer than 40 species occur worldwide. The family is fo ...

*** Dryomyzidae ***

Helcomyzidae The Helcomyzidae are a small family of flies in the Acalyptratae. The larvae feed on kelp and other organic matter washed up on shorelines. Species diversity is highest in New Zealand and south temperate South America. They are sometimes allied w ...

*** Helosciomyzidae ***

Heterocheilidae ''Heterocheila'' is a genus of acalyptrate true flies (Diptera). They are placed in their own family, Heterocheilidae, in the superfamily Sciomyzoidea. They are not widely familiar outside entomological circles, but the common name "half-brid ...

*** Ropalomeridae ***

Sepsidae The Sepsidae are a family of flies, commonly called the black scavenger flies or ensign flies. Over 300 species are described worldwide. They are usually found around dung or decaying plant and animal material. Many species resemble ants, having ...

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Sciomyzidae The family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies ( Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. Here, the Huttoninidae, Phaeomyiidae and Tet ...

(including Huttoninidae and Phaeomyiidae) **Superfamily

Sphaeroceroidea Sphaeroceroidea is a superfamily of flies. It includes the cosmopolitan families of Sphaeroceridae (small dung flies), Heleomyzidae, and Chyromyidae, as well as a few smaller groups. It has about 2,600 species. Description Sphaeroceroids te ...

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Chyromyidae Chyromyidae are small to very small cyclorrhaphous, acalypterate flies ( Diptera) currently classified within the Heleomyzoidea by most authors. The majority have a pale yellow integument and bright iridescent green, red or purple eyes. The famil ...

*** Heleomyzidae *** Heteromyzidae (disputed) ***

Nannodastiidae Nannodastiidae are a small family of acalyptrate flies placed in two genera. They were formerly included within the Ephydridae or shore flies. These are small to minute flies which are dull coloured with clear wings. They are identified by a com ...

*** Sphaeroceridae **Superfamily

Lauxanioidea The Lauxanioidea are a superfamily of flies that includes the two large families, the Lauxaniidae and Chamaemyiidae, and the small family Celyphidae. Generally, they are small to medium, densely populated, coloured flies. The Chamaemyiidae live ...

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Celyphidae The Celyphidae, commonly known as beetle flies or beetle-backed flies, are a family of flies (order Diptera). About 115 species in about 9 genera are known chiefly from the Oriental and Afrotropic biogeographic regions with one lineage in the ...

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Chamaemyiidae The Chamaemyiidae are a small family of acalyptrate flies with less than 200 species described worldwide. The larvae of these small flies are active and predatory and are often used for biological control of aphids, scale insects, and simil ...

*** Lauxaniidae **Superfamily

Opomyzoidea The Opomyzoidea are a superfamily of flies. Biology Opomyzoids show a range of lifestyles including mining plant leaves (many Agromyzidae), feeding in grass stems (Anthomyzidae and Opomyzidae), forming plant galls ('' Fergusonina''), feeding ...

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Agromyzidae The Agromyzidae are a family commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies, for the feeding habits of their larvae, most of which are leaf miners on various plants. A worldwide family of roughly 2,500 species, they are small, some with wing l ...

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Anthomyzidae Anthomyzidae is small, slender, yellow to black flies with narrow and elongated wings, which may have distinct markings. Some species have greatly reduced wings. Fewer than 100 species are known, mostly from Europe. Although they occur in all ma ...

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Asteiidae Asteiidae is a small but widespread family of acalyptrate flies or Diptera. About 130 species in 10 genera have been described worldwide. They are rarely collected. Family description For terms see Morphology of Diptera. Adult asteiids are ...

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Aulacigastridae Aulacigastridae is a very small family of flies known as sap flies. The family Stenomicridae used to be included within this family, but was moved by Papp in 1984. They are found in all the Ecoregions. Description For terms see Morphology of Di ...

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Clusiidae Clusiidae or "druid flies" is a family of small (~ 3.5 mm), thin, yellow to black acalyptrate flies with a characteristic antenna (The second segment of the antennae has a triangular projection over the third segment when viewed from the o ...

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Marginidae ''Margo'' is the sole genus of flies placed in the family Marginidae and referred to as margin flies. The genus comprises two species, both from Africa: ''Margo aperta'' from Zimbabwe and ''Margo clausa'' from Madagascar. They are restricted to d ...

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Neminidae Neminidae is a family of flies belonging to the order Diptera. Genera: * ''Nemo Nemo may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Games * ''Nemo'' (arcade game), a 1990 arcade game by Capcom based on ''Little Nemo'' * NEMO (video game consol ...

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Neurochaetidae Neurochaetidae is a family of flies belonging to the order Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a si ...

*** Odiniidae ***

Opomyzidae Opomyzidae is a family of acalyptrate Diptera. They are generally small, slender, yellow, brown or black coloured flies. The larval food plants are grasses, including cereal crops, the adults are mainly found in open habitats. Some species bein ...

*** Periscelididae *** Teratomyzidae *** Xenasteiidae **Superfamily Ephydroidea ***

Camillidae The Camillidae are a family of flies, or Diptera. The family has five genera (four living; one fossil). Description For terms see Morphology of Diptera Minute ( long), slender, lustrous black flies with hyaline wings. The postvertical bristles ...

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Curtonotidae The Curtotonidae or quasimodo flies are a small family of small grey to dark brown humpbacked flies ( Diptera) with a worldwide distribution, but with very few species in the Nearctic, Australasian/Oceanian, and Palaearctic regions. Most members ...

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Diastatidae Diastatidae are a family of flies, and are in the order Diptera. They occur primarily in the Holarctic Region, but several species are known from the Oriental, Neotropical, and Australasian regions. Members of the family number over 20 describe ...

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Drosophilidae The Drosophilidae are a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, which includes species called fruit flies, although they are more accurately referred to as vinegar or pomace flies. Another distantly related family of flies, Tephritidae, are true ...

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Ephydridae Ephydridae (shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of insects in the order Diptera. Shore flies are tiny flies that can be found near seashores or at smaller inland waters, such as ponds. About 2,000 species have been described worldwide, i ...

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Mormotomyiidae The family Mormotomyiidae ( Diptera: Ephydroidea) contains only one known species, ''Mormotomyia hirsuta'', commonly known as the frightful hairy flyKirk-Spriggs, A.H., Kotrba, M. & Copeland, R.S. 2011. Further details of the morphology of the ...

**Superfamily

Carnoidea Carnoidea is a superfamily of Acalyptratae flies. Description In general, carnoids are small flies no more than a few millimetres long. Carnoidea is a poorly defined superfamily. In 1989, ten synapomorphies were described for the group, but m ...

*** Acartophthalmidae ***

Australimyzidae Australimyzidae is a family of flies (Diptera). There is 1 genus, containing 9 known species known from Australia and New Zealand and subantarctic surrounding islands. They have saprophagous Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is ...

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Braulidae Braulidae, or bee lice, is a family of true flies (''Diptera'') with seven species in two genera, '' Braula'' and '' Megabraula''. They are found in honey bee colonies due to their phoretic, inquiline, and kleptoparasitic relationships with the ...

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Canacidae Canacidae, incorrectly Canaceidae, or beach flies, surf or surge flies, is a family of Diptera. There are 113 species in 12 genera. The family now includes Tethininae as a subfamily. Family description For terms see Morphology of Diptera. ...

*** Carnidae ***

Chloropidae The Chloropidae are a family of flies commonly known as frit flies or grass flies. About 2000 described species are in over 160 genera distributed worldwide. These are usually very small flies, yellow or black and appearing shiny due to the virtu ...

*** Cryptochetidae ***

Inbiomyiidae The Inbiomyiidae are a family of flies first described in 2006. 11 species have been described all in the genus ''Inbiomyia'' distributed in the Neotropical region. These are very small, mostly dark flies. The larval biology remains unknown. Fa ...

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Milichiidae Milichiidae are a family of flies. Most species are very small and dark. Details of their biology have not yet been properly studied, but they are best known as kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates, and accordingly are commonly known as fr ...

**Acalyptratae incertae sedis ***

Paraleucopidae The Paraleucopidae are a family of Acalyptratae flies first elevated to family level in 2019. Their placement within the acalyptrataes is uncertain. Based on morphological evidence, they have been proposed to belong to the suprafamily Asteioinea ...

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q637961