FAMILY ACROCERIDAE

 

The family Acroceridae consists of small- to moderately-sized flies found worldwide except oceanic islands. There are over 500 described species in 50 genera. All known species are internal parasites of spiders. Adults of living forms can be found in vegetated or forested areas with females usually in search of a spider host or feeding on the nectar of flowers. The life span of adults is very short (usually only 1 week). Larvae include a planidial first instar that actively searches out a host immediately after hatching from the egg. Larvae pass through 4 instars before emerging from the host and pupating.
In addition to the determined material listed below, the family has also been recorded from the Oligocene/Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic (Poinar, 1992).
The fossil species Acrocera hirsuta Scudder is not considered an acrocerid (E.I. Schlinger, in litt.) and appears closer to the Mythicomyiidae, where it is tentatively placed in this catalog.

Ref.: Hennig (1966d, review of fossil taxa).

 

Genus ARCHOCYRTUS Ussatchev

ARCHOCYRTUS Ussatchev, 1968: 622 (381). Type species: Archocyrtus gibbosus Ussatchev, 1968, by original designation.

gibbosus Ussatchev, 1968: 622 (381). PA: Kazakhstan (Upper Jurassic) [C].

 

Genus EULOCHIELLA Meunier

EULOCHIELLA Meunier, 1912b: 177. Type species: Eulonchiella eocenica Meunier, 1912, by monotypy.

eocenica Meunier, 1912b: 177. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus GLAESONCODES Hennig

GLAESONCODES Hennig, 1968: 4. Type species: Glaesoncodes completinervis Hennig, 1968, by monotypy.

completinervis Hennig, 1968: 4. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus OCNAEA Erichson

*OCNAEA Erichson, 1840: 155. Type species: Ocnaea micans Erichson, 1840, by subsequent designation of Coquillett (1910: 577).

Unidentified sp.-PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A] (Hennig, 1968: 6).

 

Genus PROPHILOPOTA Hennig

PROPHILOPOTA Hennig, 1966d: 9. Type species: Prophilopota succini Hennig, 1966, by monotypy.

succini Hennig, 1966d: 9. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus VILLALITES Hennig

VILLALITES Hennig, 1966d: 18 . Type species: Villalites electrica Hennig, 1966, by original designation.

electrica Hennig, 1966d: 18. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].