''Ogcodes'' is a cosmopolitan genus of small-headed flies in the family

Acroceridae The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common ...

. About 90 species have been described for the genus. It is the most common and speciose genus in its family. These flies are endoparasitoids of ground-dwelling entelegyne spiders.

Characteristics

Flies in this genus can be distinguished from other genera in the family

by the following combination of characteristics: * Antennae positioned on the ventral surface of the head, slightly above the mouth *Tibiae lacking apical spurs *Eyes always holoptic *Short, rod-like antennal flagellum *Mouthparts hidden by a membrane *Reduced wing venation Adult ''Ogcodes'' are small to medium in size, with rounded heads and abdomens. They are often brown or black in color, with a pale horizontal band at the posterior edge of each abdominal tergite.

Life History

Soon after mating, females lay their eggs around dead twigs. These eggs are brown or black in color, and usually under 0.35 millimeters in length. Larvae are endoparasitoids in spiders. Upon emerging, planidial larvae wait to come in contact with a host spider. If a host is not found, the larvae can move to nearby sites by springing into the air or moving similarly to an inchworm. If a host is found, the larva will typically enter it through the abdomen, or occasionally through the intersegmental membranes of the legs. Upon attaching to the inside of the host, the larva will molt twice at a rate that depends on the developmental pace of the host. The site of attachment is in an air pocket between the lamellae of the spider's book lungs. The third-instar larva will consume most of the host spider’s internal contents, then emerge by making a hole along the host’s epigastric furrow. Evidence that acrocerid flies deliberately influence host behavior is limited, but flies in this genus have been observed emerging shortly after their hosts create webbing and clinging to the new webbing using adhesives on their bodies. One to three days after emerging, the larva pupates. Adults can be encountered around dead twigs, or in grassy, wet areas. They have not been observed feeding, though it is possible that the oral membrane in place of functioning mouthparts may be used to collect moisture from the air. Adults are thought to live for three to four weeks at maximum in nature.

Hosts

Larval ''Ogcodes'' have been documented developing in spiders from the following taxonomic families: *

Araneidae Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...

Theridiidae Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes ...

Lycosidae Wolf spiders are members of the Family (biology), family Lycosidae (), named for their robust and agile hunting skills and excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and usually do not spin spider web, webs. Some are opportunis ...

Agelenidae The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus ''Agelenopsis''. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider (''Era ...

Psechridae Psechridae is a family of araneomorph spiders with about 70 species in two genera. These are among the biggest cribellate spiders with body lengths up to and funnel webs more than in diameter. The family belongs to the RTA clade of spiders ...

Amaurobiidae Amaurobiidae is a family of three-clawed cribellate or ecribellate spiders found in crevices and hollows or under stones where they build retreats, and are often collected in pitfall traps. Unlidded burrows are sometimes quite obvious in crusty, ...

Oxyopidae Lynx spiders (Oxyopidae) is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1870. Most species make little use of webs, instead spending their lives as hunting spiders on plants. Many species frequent flowers in particular, ...

Anyphaenidae Anyphaenidae is a family of araneomorph spiders, sometimes called anyphaenid sac spiders or ghost spiders. They are distinguished from the sac spiders of the family Clubionidae and other spiders by having the abdominal spiracle placed one third ...

Clubionidae The sac spiders of the family Clubionidae are nocturnal, sac-building hunting spiders with a near-worldwide distribution. Their sacs, silken retreats in which they hide during the day, may be made in a variety of places, including between folded ...

Gnaphosidae Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include '' Gnaphosa'', '' Drassode ...

* Philodromidae *

Thomisidae The Thomisidae are a family of spiders, including about 170 genera and over 2,100 species. The common name crab spider is often linked to species in this family, but is also applied loosely to many other families of spiders. Many members of thi ...

Salticidae Jumping spiders are a group of spiders that constitute the family (biology), family Salticidae. , this family contained over 600 species description, described genus, genera and over 6,000 described species, making it the largest family of spide ...

Like many acrocerids, planidial ''Ogcodes'' tend to target hosts that wander or build webs on the ground. Several species within the genus can develop in spiders from three or more different taxonomic families, namely '' O. adaptus'', '' O. dispar'', '' O. eugonatus'', and '' O. pallidipennis''.

Distribution

''Ogcodes'' as a whole is cosmopolitan in distribution. Species richness in ''Ogcodes'' is highest in Australia and the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. Species in this genus have not been collected from deserts and certain islands, such as Madagascar and Iceland. The majority of species are found in only one geographic region, with the exceptions of '' O. pallidipennis'', '' O. dispar'', and '' O. guttatus''. Alongside ''

Pterodontia ''Pterodontia'' is a genus of small-headed flies (insects in the family Acroceridae). There are at least 20 described species in ''Pterodontia''. Description ''Pterodontia'' have eyes that are covered in hairs. Their antennae are attached below t ...

'', ''Ogcodes'' is one of the two acrocerid genera present in every zoogeographic region.

Taxonomy

''Ogcodes'' is the only extant genus within the subfamily

Ogcodinae Ogcodinae is a subfamily of the Acroceridae (small-headed flies). Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders in the subgroup Entelegynae The Entelegynae or entelegynes are a subgroup of araneomorph spiders, the largest of the two ma ...

. Based on its morphology, the genus was previously placed within

Acrocerinae Acrocerinae is a subfamily of small-headed flies in the family Acroceridae. Their larvae are endoparasites of araneomorph spiders, with the exception of ''Carvalhoa appendiculata'' which can develop as ectoparasitoids on their host spiders. Tradi ...

. While many species in Acrocerinae target haplogyne spiders, not a single species in ''Ogcodes'' does. Despite sharing morphological characteristics with the acrocerid genus ''

'', such as having antennae located on the ventral surface of the head and reduced mouthparts, molecular data indicates that these two genera are not particularly closely related.

Subgenera and species

The genus is split into three subgenera: ''Ogcodes'', ''Protogcodes'' and ''Neogcodes''. ''Ogcodes'' is

cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Internationalism * World citizen, one who eschews traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship * Cosmopolitanism, the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single moral community * Cosmopolitan ...

in distribution, ''Protogcodes'' is endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and ''Neogcodes'' is restricted to the

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

. Subgenus ''Ogcodes'' Latreille, 1796 *'' Ogcodes acroventris'' Nartshuk, 1982 *'' Ogcodes adaptatus'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes alluaudi''

Becker Becker () is one of the German-language surnames, along with Bäcker and Baecker, that derive from the root, which refers to baking. The surname began as a name for a baker (and thus his family). In northern Germany, it can also derive from th ...

, 1914 *'' Ogcodes angustimarginatus'' Brunetti, 1920 *'' Ogcodes asiaticus'' Nartshuk, 1975 *'' Ogcodes argentinensis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes argigaster'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes armstrongi'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes ater'' White, 1915 *'' Ogcodes basalis'' (

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

, 1852) *'' Ogcodes bigoti'' Nartshuk, 1982 *'' Ogcodes boharti'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes borneoensis'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes borealis'' Cole, 1919 *'' Ogcodes brasilensis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes brunneus'' ( Hutton, 1881) *'' Ogcodes caffer'' Loew, 1857 *'' Ogcodes canadensis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes canberranus'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes castaneus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes chilensis'' Sabrosky, 1945 *'' Ogcodes cingulatus''

Erichson Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson (26 November 1809 – 18 December 1848) was a German entomologist and doctor. He was the author of many articles about insects mainly in '' Archiv für Naturgeschichte''. When writing in Latin, he latinised ''Wilhelm'' ...

, 1840 *'' Ogcodes clavatus''

, 1909 *'' Ogcodes coffeatus'' Speiser, 1920 *'' Ogcodes colei'' Sabrosky, 1948 *'' Ogcodes colombiensis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes congoensis'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes consimilis'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes costalis'' (

, 1852) *'' Ogcodes crassitibialis'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes croucampi'' Barraclough, 1997 *'' Ogcodes deserticola'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes diligens'' Osten Sacken, 1877 *'' Ogcodes dispar'' ( Macquart, 1855) *'' Ogcodes distinctus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes doddi'' Wandolleck, 1906 *'' Ogcodes dusmeti'' Arias, 1920 *'' Ogcodes esakii'' Ôuchi, 1942 *'' Ogcodes etruscus'' Griffini, 1896 *'' Ogcodes eugonatus'' Loew, 1872 *†'' Ogcodes exotica'' Grimaldi, 1995 *'' Ogcodes flavescens'' White, 1915 *'' Ogcodes floridensis'' Sabrosky, 1948 *'' Ogcodes formosus'' Loew, 1873 *'' Ogcodes fortnumi'' Westwood, 1876 *'' Ogcodes fratellus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes fraternus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes froggatti'' Schlinger ''in'' Schlinger & Jeffries, 1989 *'' Ogcodes fumatus''

, 1846 *'' Ogcodes fuscus'' Brunetti, 1912 *'' Ogcodes gibbosus'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) *'' Ogcodes glomerosus'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes gressiti'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes guttatus''

Costa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

, 1854 *'' Ogcodes hennigi'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes hirtus''

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, 1936 *'' Ogcodes hungaricus'' (Szilády, 1941) *'' Ogcodes ignavus'' Westwood, 1876 *'' Ogcodes insignis'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes jacobaeus'' (

Philippi Philippi (; , ''Phílippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides (, ''Krēnĩdes'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colonists in 360/359 BC. The city was renamed by Phili ...

, 1871) *'' Ogcodes jacutensis'' Pleske, 1930 *'' Ogcodes javanus''

De Meijere Johannes Cornelis Hendrik de Meijere (1 April 1866, Deventer – 6 November 1947) was a Dutch zoologist and entomologist who specialised in Diptera and Coleoptera. Prof. dr. Johannes Cornelis Hendrik de Meijere was Rector Magnificus at the U ...

, 1924 *'' Ogcodes kunkunche'' Barahona-Segovia in Barahona-Segovia ''et al.'', 2020 *'' Ogcodes kuscheli'' Sabrosky, 1951 *'' Ogcodes lautereri'' Chvála, 1980 *'' Ogcodes leptisoma'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes lineatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes longicolus'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes luzonensis'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes lucidus'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes maai'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes marginifasciatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes melampus'' Loew, 1872 *'' Ogcodes merens'' Nartshuk, 1982 *'' Ogcodes neavei'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes niger'' Cole, 1919 *'' Ogcodes nigrinervis'' White, 1915 *'' Ogcodes nigripes'' ( Zetterstedt, 1838) *'' Ogcodes nigritarsis'' Shiraki, 1932 *'' Ogcodes nitens'' ( Hutton, 1901) *'' Ogcodes nyasae'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes obscuripes'' Chvála, 1980 *'' Ogcodes orientalis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes ottuc'' Nartshuk, 1982 *'' Ogcodes pallidipennis'' Loew, 1865 *'' Ogcodes pallipes'' Latreille in Olivier, 1812 *'' Ogcodes pamiricus'' Nartshuk, 1982 *'' Ogcodes philippinensis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes porteri'' Schlinger, 1953 *'' Ogcodes pusillus'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes pygmaeus'' White, 1915 *'' Ogcodes reginae'' Trojan, 1956 *'' Ogcodes respersus'' Seguy, 1935 *'' Ogcodes rufoabdominalis'' Cole, 1919 *'' Ogcodes rufomarginatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes sabroskyi'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes schembrii'' Chvála, 1980 *'' Ogcodes sexmaculatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes shewelli'' Sabrosky, 1948 *'' Ogcodes shirakii'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes similis'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes taiwanensis'' Schlinger, 1971 *'' Ogcodes tasmannicus'' Westwood, 1876 *'' Ogcodes tenuipes'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes triangularis'' Sabrosky, 1945 *'' Ogcodes trifasciatus''

, 1915 *'' Ogcodes trilineatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes variegatus'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes varius'' Latreille in Olivier, 1812 *'' Ogcodes victoriensis'' Brunetti, 1926 *'' Ogcodes vittisternum'' Sabrosky, 1948 *'' Ogcodes waterhousei'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes wilsoni'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes zonatus''

, 1840 Subgenus ''Protogcodes'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes hirtifrons'' Paramonov, 1957 *'' Ogcodes paramonovi'' Schlinger, 1960 Subgenus ''Neogcodes'' Schlinger, 1960 *'' Ogcodes albiventris''

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, 1904 The following species are synonyms: * ''Ogcodes darwinii'' Westwood, 1876: synonym of '' Ogcodes basalis'' (

, 1852) * ''Ogcodes fumatus'' Froggatt, 1907 (preoccupied by ''O. fumatus''

, 1846): renamed to '' Ogcodes froggatti'' Schlinger ''in'' Schlinger & Jeffries, 1989 * ''Ogcodes limbatus'' Bigot, 1888 (preoccupied by ''Henops limbatus'' Meigen, 1822, now '' Ogcodes pallipes'' Latreille in Olivier, 1812): renamed to '' Ogcodes bigoti'' Nartshuk, 1982

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q14660625 Acroceridae Nemestrinoidea genera