Teratomyzidae are small, slender, yellow to blackish flies. The wings
are rather narrow and elongate with the crossveins very close together near
the wing base and the anal vein almost always very long and oblique (probably
secondarily elongate). Most species lack palpi. Larvae have been found on
the surface of bracken ferns (Pteridium sp.) in Australia (Ferrar,
1987).
Although only 7 species have been described (4 from Australia, 1 from New
Zealand, 2 from Chile), more than 20 occur in Australia (D.K. McAlpine, in litt.) and several others in New Guinea, Philippines, China, Nepal,
Brazil, and Ecuador.
Ref.: Ferrar (1987, immat. biol.); McAlpine & Keyzer (1994, gen.
classif., immat. biol.).
AUSTER McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 311. Type species: Auster
pteridii McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994, orig. des.
pteridii McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 311. Australia (NSW).
LIPS McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 318. Type species: Lips collessi McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994, orig. des.
collessi McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 319. Australia (WA).
POUS McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 313. Type species: Pous manicula McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994, orig. des.
manicula McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 314. Australia (NSW); Australia
(Qld).
TERATOMYZA Malloch, 1933e: 113. Type species: Teratomyza neozelandica Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
TERATOMYZA Malloch, 1933e: 113 (as gen.). Type species: Teratomyza
neozelandica Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
neozelandica Malloch, 1933e: 114. NZ (NZ).
VITILA McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 321. Type species: Teratomyza
undulata McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994, orig. des.
undulata McAlpine & Keyzer, 1994: 321. Australia (NSW); Australia
(Qld, Tas, Vic).
TERATOPTERA Malloch, 1933j: 387 (Teratomyza subg.). Type
species: Teratomyza chilensis Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
Undescribed sp.--Australia (NSW) (Shuter & McAlpine, 1985: 26).
This page last revised 16 August 1996