The Platypezoidea are a

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

true flies 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 single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

of the section

Aschiza The Aschiza are a section of the Brachycera. Two large families, the Syrphidae and the Phoridae, and a number of smaller taxa are in this group. They are similar to most of the familiar Muscomorpha with one notable exception; they do not posse ...

. Their closest living relatives are the

Syrphoidea The Syrphoidea are a superfamily of flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use on ...

, which, for example, contain the

hoverflies Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family (biology), family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen Hover (behaviour), hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed main ...

. Like these, the adults do not burst open their

pupa A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...

l cases with a

ptilinum The ptilinum is an eversible pouch on the head, above the base of the Antenna (biology), antenna in Schizophora, schizophoran Diptera, flies (a section (biology), section of Muscomorpha, muscomorphan and Cyclorrhapha, cyclorrhaphan flies). It is ...

when hatching, thus the Aschiza do not have the inverted-U-shaped suture above the antennae. They are, however, muscomorphs, thus have a particular type of pupal case resembling a rounded barrel and called puparium.

Families

Five families are placed in the Platypezoidea, listed below in taxonomic sequence: *

Phoridae The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. Phorid flies can often be identified by their escape habit of running rapidly across a surface rather than taking flight. This behaviour is a source of one of their al ...

- coffin and scuttle flies (includes Sciadoceridae) *

Opetiidae The Opetiidae is a family of true flies of the superfamily Platypezoidea, one of two families commonly called flat-footed flies. The family contains only five extant species in two genera, '' Opetia'' from the Palearctic region and '' Puyehuemy ...

- flat-footed flies *

Ironomyiidae Ironomyiidae is a small family of flies in the order Diptera. Historically, they had been included in the family Platypezidae, and includes three extant species within the single extant genus ''Ironomyia'' endemic to Australia and a number of ext ...

- ironic flies *

Lonchopteridae The Lonchopteridae (spear-winged flies or pointed-wing flies) are a family of small (2–5 mm), slender, yellow to brownish-black Diptera, occurring all over the world. Their common name refers to their pointed wings, which have a distinc ...

- spear-winged flies, pointed-wing flies *

Platypezidae Platypezidae is a family (biology), family of Fly, true flies of the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Platypezoidea. The more than 250 species are Cosmopolitan distribution, found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats. A common name is flat-foote ...

- flat-footed flies The Ironomyiidae, Lonchopteridae, and Phoridae are sometimes separated as Phoroidea. The reduced Platypezoidea thus created unites the two families of flat-footed flies.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2241244 Diptera superfamilies