46. Family PLATYPEZIDAE
[Originally] by P.J. Chandler
Members of the Platypezidae principally inhabit forests where adults may be found performing rapid erratic movements on broad leaves of both woody and herbaceous plants, evidently feeding on surface deposits. Males form aerial swarms as a prelude to copulation. In Callomyiinae and Platypezinae, swarms are usually oriented towards trees or bushes as markers, but Microsania swarms are usually observed in smoke and both sexes may be found around wood ash. Larvae of Microsania are unknown, but females of Callomyiinae and Platypezinae visit the fruiting bodies of the larger fungi, on which they oviposit. Known larvae of the family are all fungus feeders; 2 Australian species of Lindneromyia have been reared from gill fungi.
There are about 250 described species distributed worldwide. Four subfamilies are recognized, comprising at least 14 valid genera. Only Microsania is cosmopolitan, and it is the most widespread genus in the regions covered here. Agathomyia is mainly Holarctic with a few Oriental representatives. Several genera, which have been recognized in the dominant tropical subfamily Platypezinae (most valid genera of which are mainly Holarctic), are based on arbitrary distinctions drawn from variable characters. The sinking of these genera in synonymy with Lindneromyia is justified in a revision of the Oriental and Australasian species by Chandler (1994).
The Australasian species have been poorly studied. Those described from
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were included in the work on the
Oriental species by Kessel & Clopton (1969). The only works describing
Australian species are those by Tonnoir (1925b), Collart (1938) and Chandler
(1994). The family is widespread in the forested areas of Australia. The
published literature shows that 7 Microsania spp. occur in Australia,
Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu; there are 2 Agathomyia species in
Australia and Papua New Guinea; while 16 Lindneromyia species occur
in the regions covered by this catalog.
Refs.: Collart (1924, 1938), Tonnoir (1925b), Kessel & Clopton
(1969); Chandler (1994, rev. Oriental, Aust. spp.).
Subfamily MICROSANIINAE
Genus MICROSANIA Zetterstedt
MICROSANIA Zetterstedt, 1837: 30 (Cyrtoma subg.). Type
species: Microsania stigmaticalis Zetterstedt, 1837 [= Cyrtoma
pectipennis Meigen, 1830], mon.
arthuri Chandler, 1994: 357. Australia (Tas); Australia (NSW, WA),
PNG (PNG).
australis Collart, 1938: 2. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT, Vic,
WA); PNG (PNG).
boycei Chandler, 1994: 357. Australia (NSW); Australia (Vic).
fijiensis Sinclair & Chandler, 2006: 31. Fiji.
hebridensis Chandler, 1994: 360. Vanuatu.
nigrilula Chandler, 1994: 361. PNG (PNG); Australia (WA).
tonnoiri Collart, 1924: 3. NZ (NZ).
unicornuta Chandler, 1994: 363. PNG (PNG).
Subfamily CALLOMYIINAE
Genus AGATHOMYIA Verrall
AGATHOMYIA Verrall, 1901: 30. Type species: Callomyza antennata Zetterstedt, 1819, des. Coquillett, 1910: 504.
austrocollinella Chandler, 1994: 373. Australia (NSW).
pluvialis Chandler, 1994: 376. PNG(PNG).
Subfamily PLATYPEZINAE
Genus LINDNEROMYIA Kessel
LINDNEROMYIA Kessel, 1965: 1. Type species: Lindneromyia africana Kessel, 1965, orig. des.
SYMMETRICELLA Kessel, 1966: 235. Type species: Symmetricella fumapex Kessel, 1966, orig. des.
PLESIOCLYTHIA Kessel & Maggioncalda, 1968: 58. Type species: Platypeza agarici Willard, 1914, orig. des.
PENESYMMETRIA Kessel & Maggioncalda, 1968: 63. Type species: Platypeza umbrosa Snow, 1894, orig. des.
acuminata Tonnoir, 1925b: 310 (Platypeza). Australia (NSW).
albomaculata Chandler, 1994: 427. Australia (NSW).
agrentifascia Chandler, 1994: 426. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT,
Qld).
argyrogyna de Meijere, 1907: 257 (Platypeza). Indonesia (Java);
Australia (ACT, NSW, Qld), Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Maluku), PNG (Bismarck
Arch, PNG), Solomon Is; Japan, widesp. Oriental Reg.
austraquila Chandler, 1994: 422. Australia (ACT); Australia (NSW,
Qld, Tas, Vic).
boharti Kessel & Clopton, 1969: 50 (Plesioclythia). Solomon
Is; PNG (Bougainville I).
denticulata Tonnoir, 1925b: 309 (Platypeza). Australia (NSW);
Australia (ACT, Qld, Tas, Vic).
fergusoni Tonnoir, 1925b: 307 (Platypeza). Australia (Tas);
Australia (ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic).
flaviplapis Chandler, 1994: 424. Australia (Vic); Australia (NSW,
SA, Vic, WA).
fonsecai Chandler, 1994: 417. Australia (NSW).
gressitti Chandler, 1994: 398. PNG (Bismarck Arch); Australia (NSW,
Qld), Indonesia (Maluku).
griseola Tonnoir, 1925b: 309 (Platypeza). Australia (NSW);
Australia (ACT, Vic).
merimbulae Chandler, 1994: 430. Australia (NSW).
pulchra Chandler, 1994: 429. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW).
waui Chandler, 1994: 416. PNG (PNG)
wulpii Kertész, 1899b: 179 (Platypeza). PNG (PNG);
Australia (ACT, NSW, Qld), Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Maluku), PNG (Bismarck
Arch), Solomon Is.
lyneborgi Kessel & Clopton, 1969: 63 (Symmetricella).
Solomon Is.
This page last revised 23 May 2007