Periscelidids are small flies, occurring also in Europe and the Americas.
They have been reported to be attracted to bleeding wounds of trees, and
larvae have been reared from fermenting oak sap.
The genera Stenomicra and Cyamops have been variously placed
in the families Drosophilidae, Asteiidae, Geomyzidae, Periscelididae, Anthomyzidae,
and Aulacigastridae. Papp (1984) considered Stenomicra a distinct
family, which also includes Cyamops because the 2 genera are closely
related. Stenomicra is here placed in Periscelididae in the subfamily
Stenomicrinae following Mathis (1993).
Stenomicra is pale and moves rapidly with equal facility in all directions
while maintaining a constant orientation, which is often observed on the
surface of leaves. Cyamops are dark flies with slow movements and
a tendency to run about less than Stenomicra. They are found in wet
locations such as vegetation beside streams and rivers. Cyamops may
also be collected off of rocks in streams and rivers. Larvae of Stenomicra of the few species for which biology is known are aquatic or semiaquatic,
living in water trapped in leaf axils. They occur in all regions of the
world.
Refs.: Malloch (1927c, key 4 spp.), Williams (1939, biol. Stenomicra
orientalis), Sabrosky (1965, gen. diagn.), Papp (1984d, cat. Palearctic
spp.), Khoo (1984, Australian Cyamops), Mathis (1993, Australian spp.), Grimaldi (2009, Fijian spp.).
PERISCELIS Loew, 1858b: 113. Type species: Periscelis annulipes Loew, 1858, mon.
NOTIOSCELIS Mathis, 1993: 16. Type species: Periscelis fasciata Mathis, 1993, orig. des.
fasciata Mathis, 1993: 16. Austrlia (NSW); Australia (Qld).
STENOMICRA Coquillett, 1900c: 262. Type species: Stenomicra
angustata Coquillett, 1900, orig. des.
PODOCERA Czerny, 1929: 93 (as gen.). Type species: Podocera
ramifera Czerny, 1929, mon. [Not preocc. by Podocera of Latreille,
1817 = error for Podocerus Leach, 1814.]
DIADELOPS Collin, 1944: 265. Type species: Diadelops delicata Collin, 1944, mon.
distinctipennis Collin, 1951: 47 (Diadelops). Fiji.
fascipennis, not Malloch, misid.
STENOMICRA Coquillett, 1900c: 262 (as gen.). Type species: Stenomicra
angustata Coquillett, 1900, orig. des.
ariela Grimaldi, 2009: 4. Fiji.
australis Malloch, 1927c: 25. Australia (Qld).
brunnea Grimaldi, 2009: 5. Fiji.
castanea Grimaldi, 2009: 5. Fiji.
distincta Grimaldi, 2009: 17. Fiji.
orientalis Malloch, 1927c: 25. Hawaiian Is.
angustata, Williams, 1939, not Coquillett, 1900, misid.
pallida Grimaldi, 2009: 6. Fiji.
sylpha Grimaldi, 2009: 6. Fiji.
tokotaai Grimaldi, 2009: 6. Fiji.
xoutha Grimaldi, 2009: 17. Fiji.
CYAMOPS Melander, 1913: 291. Type species: Cyamops nebulosa Melander, 1913, orig. des.
australicus Hennig, 1969a: 612. Australia (Qld); Australia (NT).
claudiensis Khoo, 1984: 530. Australia (Qld); Australia (NT, WA).
dayi Khoo, 1984: 532. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld).
delta Khoo, 1984: 534. Australia (NSW); Australia (Qld, Tas, Vic).
femobrunneus Grimaldi, 2009: 23. Fiji.
femoctenidius Grimaldi, 2009: 26. Fiji.
fiji Baptista & Mathis, 2000: 493. Fiji.
micronesicus Baptista & Mathis, 2000: 490. Micronesia.
papuensis Baptista & Mathis, 2000: 495. PNG (PNG).
pectinatus Khoo, 1984: 528. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT, Qld, Tas).
samoensis Baptista & Mathis, 2000: 495. American Samoa.
truncatus Khoo, 1984: 533. Australia (Qld); Australia (NT).
STENOCYAMOPS Papp in Papp et al., 2006: 216. Type species: Stenocyamops thaii Papp, 2006, orig. des.
luteus Grimaldi, 2009: 28. Fiji.
pseudoluteus Grimaldi, 2009: 29. Fiji.
robustus Grimaldi, 2009: 33. Fiji.
vittatus Grimaldi, 2009: 37. Fiji.