There are about 500 described species of Lonchaeidae, or lance flies,
recorded from all major forested land masses of the world except New Zealand.
A total of 55 species in 4 genera and 2 subfamilies are known from the Australasian/Oceanian
Regions.
The immature stages of most species are secondary invaders in diseased or
injured plant material. Many species, particularly in Dasiops and Lonchaea, live under bark of dead and dying trees, or in injured,
overripe, or decaying fruits or vegetables. A large number of Silba species live in association with members of the family Tephritidae. A few
species are primary invaders of certain fruits and vegetables. Lamprolonchaea
smaragdi, the metallic green tomato fly, is very common in Australia;
its larvae live in damaged tomatoes.
McAlpine & Steyskal (1982) provided a key to the 10 world genera. McAlpine
(1975) provided a key to the males of the impressifrons group of Lonchaea (which includes cuneifrons, dasyscutella, iridala,
and megacera from the Australasian/Oceanian Regions).
Refs.: Kertész (1901b, PNG spp.), Malloch (1928d, Australian
spp.; 1930p, Samoan spp.). McAlpine (1964a,b, world spp.).
DASIOPS Rondani, 1856: 120. Type species: Lonchaea latifrons Meigen, 1826, des. I.C.Z.N., 1963a: 114.
DASIOPA, DASYOPS, errors for Dasiops.
phrikosifrons McAlpine, 1964a: 678. Australia (NSW).
ruidifrons McAlpine, 1964a: 678. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld).
spathistilus McAlpine, 1964a: 672. Australia (NSW).
LAMPROLONCHAEA Bezzi, 1920: 199 (Lonchaea subg.). Type
species: Lonchaea aurea Macquart, 1851 [= Notiphila smaragdi Walker, 1849], orig. des.
badiceps McAlpine, 1964a: 694. Northern Marianas; Australia (NSW,
Vic), Guam.
brouniana Bezzi, 1919a: 246 (Lonchaea). Australia (NSW). [Proposed
(incorrectly) as a n. n. for splendida sensu Broun, 1904b: 307; made
available by back reference to Broun (1905a).]
rugosifrons Bezzi, 1923e: 183. Australia (NSW).
splendida, authors, not Loew, 1873, misid.
bruneata McAlpine, 1964a: 697. Micronesia.
candidula McAlpine, 1964a: 699. American Samoa; Western Samoa.
conchapinna McAlpine, 1964a: 696. American Samoa; Western Samoa.
cuprea Becker--not Australasian/Oceanian.
fulgida McAlpine, 1964a: 695. Australia (WA).
gilvipata McAlpine, 1964a: 698. Fiji.
lustrata McAlpine, 1964a: 700. Vanuatu.
metatarsata Kertész, 1901b: 83 (Lonchaea). PNG (PNG);
widesp. Pacific; widesp. Oriental Reg.
aurea, authors, not Macquart, 1851, misid.
micantella McAlpine, 1964a: 695. Micronesia.
nigritarsata McAlpine, 1964a: 694. Guam.
photinia McAlpine, 1964a: 699. Vanuatu.
scintilla McAlpine, 1964a: 696. Micronesia.
smaragdi Walker, 1849: 1098 (Notiphila). Sierre Leone; widesp.
S Pacific Islands to Australia (Qld); Bermuda, Philippines, Mediterranean
area, widesp. Afrotrop. Reg. (incl. Madagascar, St. Helena).
aurea Macquart, 1851: 273(300) (Lonchaea). "Afrique."
splendida Loew, 1873c: 292 (Lonchaea). Sicily & Corfu.
ustulata McAlpine, 1964a: 695. Northern Marianas.
LONCHAEA Fallén, 1820c: 25. Type species: Musca chorea Fabricius, 1782, des. Westwood, 1840: 150.
LONCHOEA, error for Lonchaea.
apricaria McAlpine, 1964b: 749. Australia (NSW).
belua McAlpine, 1964b: 754. Micronesia; Belau.
choreoides Bezzi, 1923e: 184. Australia (NSW).
cuneifrons McAlpine, 1964b: 748. Australia (Qld).
cyaneonitens Kertész, 1901b: 86. PNG (PNG); Fiji; Taiwan.
dasyscutella McAlpine, 1964b: 747. Australia (Qld).
hilli Malloch, 1928d: 306. Australia (NT).
iridala McAlpine, 1964b: 747. Vanuatu.
linefacies McAlpine, 1964b: 752. Fiji.
megacera Kertész, 1901b: 83. PNG (PNG); Indonesia (?Java).
polita Say, 1830: 188. USA; Hawaiian Is; widesp. N. Am.
sabroskyi McAlpine, 1964b: 753. Belau; Micronesia.
striatifrons Malloch, 1920: 246. USA; Hawaiian Is; Mexico.
uniseta Malloch, 1930p: 243. American Samoa; Western Samoa.
SILBA Macquart, 1851: 277(304). Type species: Silba virescens Macquart, 1851, orig. des.
CARPOLONCHAEA Bezzi, 1920: 199 (Lonchaea subg.). Type species: Lonchaea plumosissima Bezzi, 1919, orig. des.
adelosa McAlpine, 1964b: 701. Australia (NSW).
albisquama Kertész, 1901b: 84 (Lonchaea). PNG (PNG).
biroi Kertész, 1901b: 85 (Lonchaea). PNG (PNG).
atratula Walker, 1860a: 146 (Lonchaea). Indonesia (Sulawesi);
Australia (Qld), PNG (PNG); Indonesia (Java), Philippines, Singapore.
obscuripennis de Meijere, 1910a: 117 (Lonchaea). Indonesia
(Java).
zopherosa McAlpine, 1964b: 704. Australia (Qld).
calva Bezzi, 1914: 320 (Lonchaea). Philippines; Fiji; India.
citricola Bezzi, 1914: 319 (Lonchaea). Philippines; Australia
(NT, Qld).
consentanea Walker, 1860a: 146 (Lonchaea). Indonesia (Sulawesi);
Indonesia (Maluku).
dispalata McAlpine, 1964b: 705. Solomon Is.
emulata McAlpine, 1964b: 707. Solomon Is.
excisa Kertész, 1901b: 87 (Lonchaea). Singapore; Australia
(Qld), Guam, Northern Marianas, PNG (PNG), Solomon Is; Seychelles, Oriental
Reg.
horridomedea McAlpine, 1964b: 711. Australia (Qld).
imitata McAlpine, 1964b: 708. Australia (Qld).
neozopherosa McAlpine, 1964b: 704. Solomon Is.
nigritella Malloch, 1930f: 241 (Lonchaea). Western Samoa;
American Samoa.
nudoscutella McAlpine, 1964b: 702. Australia (NSW).
perplexa Walker, 1860b: 161 (Lauxania). Indonesia (Maluku);
Australia (Qld), Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, PNG (PNG), "Samoa,"
Solomon Is, Tonga, Vanuatu; E Oriental Reg.
filifera Bezzi, 1914: 320 (Lonchaea). Philippines.
pollinosa Kertész, 1901b: 86 (Lonchaea). PNG (PNG).
ramuscula McAlpine, 1964b: 710. Australia (Qld).
septuosa McAlpine, 1964b: 702. Australia (Qld).
setifera de Meijere, 1910a: 119 (Lonchaea). Indonesia (Java);
Australia, Fiji, PNG (PNG), "Samoa"; E Oriental Reg.
taciturna Walker, 1859a: 127 (Ephydra). Indonesia (Maluku).
uniformis Malloch, 1930f: 242 (Lonchaea). Western Samoa.
vanemdeni McAlpine, 1975: 998. Malaysia (Pen); Australia (NSW, Qld),
PNG (PNG).
atratula, McAlpine, 1956, not Walker, 1860, misid.