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 New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is a subantarctic island in the south-western Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. It has been governed as a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1880. It became a Protected areas of Tasmania, Tasmania ...

).McAlpine, D.K. (1998). Review of the Australian stilt flies (Diptera: Micropezidae) with a phylogenetic analysis of the family. ''Invertebrate Taxonomy'' 12:55–134. (with key to Australian species) They are most diverse in tropical and subtropical habitats, especially in the Neotropical Region. Insects in this family are commonly called stilt-legged flies, after their characteristically long legs. The fore legs are markedly smaller than the other pairs. Mostly, they are long-bodied, often black flies, usually with infuscated (darkened) wings. Wings are reduced in the genera '' Calycopteryx'' and entirely absent in the ant-like '' Badisis ambulans''.

Description

For terms see

Morphology of Diptera Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader insect morphology, morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse Order (biology), order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound ey ...

Very slender, small to large (3–16 mm) flies, they have long, thin legs and narrow wings. The head is small and elongated or rounded. The antennae are small and the arista is bare or pubescent. Ocelli are present, but ocellar bristles are absent. Vibrissae are absent and the postvertical bristles are divergent or absent. Up to three pairs of frontal bristles curve forward or backward. Interfrontal bristles are absent. The wings are clear or have a smoky pattern. The costa is without interruptions. The subcosta is complete, its ending in the costa close to vein R1. The posterior basal wing cell and discoidal wing cell are sometimes fused. Crossvein BM-Cu present or (Micropezinae) absent. The abdomen is long and narrow. The tibiae lack a dorsal preapical bristle.

Biology

Some species, much the same as in the strongylophthalmyiid genus, '' Strongylophthalmyia'', mimic ants; others mimic

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...

s and are especially similar in appearance to some ichneumonid wasps. Species of the genus '' Anaeropsis'' have stalked eyes. Little is known of the larval habits, but they are probably phytophagous or saprophagous in decayed vegetation, old manure, or fungi. Larvae of certain ''Mimegralla'' species have been found to live in the roots of

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

and other plants, under the bark of dead trees, or in other decaying material. Species of ''Micropeza'' have phytophagous larvae feeding in the root nodules of leguminous plants in open habitats. Species of ''Rainieria'' develop in rotting wood and are found in old forests. Adults are either predatory on small insects (for example '' Calobata'' in Britain) or are attracted to

excrement Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...

or decaying fruit. Adults are found on low herbage, flowers, leaves, rotting fruit, and excrement. Many species (for example those of genus '' Mimegralla'') are known for their habit of standing motionless while waving their prominently marked front legs in front of their heads, a behavior which contributes to their mimicry of wasps. At least one species of '' Metopochetus'' (''M. curvus'') was observed to wave its hind legs instead, though these are not conspicuously colored.

Identification

Czerny Czerny is a surname meaning "black" in some Slavic languages. It is one of many variant forms, including Czarny, Černý, Czernik, Cherney, and Čierny, among others. People Notable people with this surname include: * Adalbert Czerny (1863–194 ...

. 1930. Tylidae. In: Lindner, E. (Ed.). ''Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region'' 5, 42a, 13–16. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision (in German). * Séguy, E. (1934) Diptères: Brachycères. II. Muscidae acalypterae, Scatophagidae. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 28
virtuelle numérique
*Shtakel'berg, A.A. Family Micropezidae (Tylidae in part) in Bei-Bienko, G. Ya, 1988 ''Keys to the insects of the European Part of the USSR'' Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision.

Conservation

'' Calycopteryx mosleyi'', found on the

Kerguelen Islands The Kerguelen Islands ( or ; in French commonly ' but officially ', ), also known as the Desolation Islands (' in French), are a group of islands in the subantarctic, sub-Antarctic region. They are among the Extremes on Earth#Remoteness, most i ...

and Heard Island, is associated with the Kerguélen cabbage ('' Pringlea antiscorbutica'',

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

). As this plant is being destroyed by introduced rabbits, the fly is considered vulnerable. The larvae of '' Badisis ambulans'' live in the pitchers of the endangered Albany pitcher plant ('' Cephalotus follicularis'', Cephalotaceae).

Fossil record

Several fossil species have been found in

Baltic amber Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...

, probably from the

Late Eocene The Priabonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or the upper stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Eocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans ...

(about 36 million years old). However, most were washed onto beaches after wearing from Tertiary strata, making their age uncertain. Two fossil genera are presently recognized, '' Cypselosomatites'' Hennig, 1965 and the advanced '' Electrobata'' Hennig, 1965 which may be more than one genus however.

Genera

This list is compiled from th
BioSystematic Database of World Diptera
and probably complete as of January 2007. *'' Anaeropsis'' Bigot, 1866 *'' Badisis'' McAlpine, 1990 *'' Calobata'' Meigen, 1803 *'' Calobatella'' Mik, 1898 *'' Calobatina'' Enderlein, 1922 *'' Calosphen'' Hennig, 1934 *'' Calycopteryx'' Eaton, 1875 *'' Cardiacephala'' Macquart, 1843 *'' Cephalosphen'' Hennig, 1934 *'' Chaetotylus'' Hendel, 1932 *'' Cliobata'' Enderlein, 1923 *'' Cnodacophora''

, 1930 *'' Compsobata''

, 1930 *'' Cothornobata''