Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog -- Web Version

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58. Family STRONGYLOPHTHALMYIIDAE

By Neal L. Evenhuis

Strongylophthalmyiids are an infrequently encountered group of small dark-colored, thin-bodied acalyptrate flies related to the Psilidae, Tanypezidae, and Micropezidae. Their family status has been debated. Griffiths (1972), Cogan (1980a), and D.K. McAlpine (in litt.) refer Strongylophthalmyia to the Tanypezidae; however, I here follow recent treatments (e.g., Steyskal 1987) in retaining separate family status for this monogeneric family pending a phylogenetic analysis of it and related families.

The biology of these flies is poorly known. Krivosheina (1981) records larvae from under bark in the USSR, and unpublished collecting records from New Guinea show them to mimic the behavior of ants with which they were collected on banana leaves. They have also been collected from leaves of Alocasia in Australia.

The family is comprised of two genera: Strongylophthalymia (54 spp.) and Nartshukia Shatalkin (1 sp.). These flies are most commonly found in the southeastern Oriental Region (less commonly in the Palearctic Region), but unpublished records show that many species occur also throughout Melanesia and Australia to Fiji. Four species in the genus Strongylophthalmyia are recorded from the regions covered here, though many more undescribed species are known from both New Guinea and Australia.
Ref.: Steyskal (1971a, key world spp.), Cogan (1980a, cat. Afrotrop. sp.), Iwasa & Evenhuis (2014, PNG, world checklist).

Genus STRONGYLOPHTHALMYIA Heller

STRONGYLOPHTHALMUS Hendel, 1902: 179. Type species: Chyliza ustulata Zetterstedt, 1847, orig. des. [Preocc. Mannerheim, 1853.]
STRONGYLOPHTHALMYIA Heller, 1902: 226 (n. n. for Strongylophthalmus).
LABROPSILA de Meijere, 1914b: 241. Type species: Labropsila polita de Meijere, 1914, des. Hennig, 1941: 36.
fascipes Walker, 1860a: 163 (Sepsis). Indonesia (Sulawesi); Indonesia (Irian Jaya), PNG (PNG).
gigantica Iwasa & Evenhuis, 2014: 97. PNG (PNG).
immaculata Hennig, 1940: 309. Taiwan; Fiji, Indonesia (Maluku), Malaysia (Pen).
lutea de Meijere, 1914b: 244 (Labropsila). Indonesia (Java); PNG (Bismarck Arch, PNG), Solomon Is.
nigriventris Frey, 1928b: 101 (lutea var.). Philippines; PNG (PNG); Malaysia (Sarawak).
papuana Iwasa & Evenhuis, 2014: 98. PNG (PNG).
puncticollis Frey, 1928: 102. Philippines; PNG (PNG)
rubella Iwasa & Evenhuis, 2014: 99. PNG (PNG).
sedlaceki Iwasa & Evenhuis, 2014: 100. PNG (PNG).
shatalkini Iwasa & Evenhuis, 2014: 101. PNG (PNG).


This page last revised 8 April 2016