FAMILY ACROCERIDAE

 

 

The family Acroceridae consists of small- to moderately-sized flies found worldwide except oceanic islands of volcanic origin. There are over 400 described species in 55 genera (Pape et al., 2011). 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. Some males hover over lekking areas awaiting females. 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; the entire life cycle sometimes taking over a dozen years.
 The 1994 fossil fly catalog recorded only Tertiary fossils. Since then, Mesozoic fossils have been discovered in southern central Asia and the Far East. The oldest fossil record of the family is Juracyrtus kovalevi Nartshuk from the Jurassic of the Karatau Formation in Kazakhstan. The fossil species Acrocera hirsuta Scudder is not considered an acrocerid (E.I. Schlinger, pers. comm.) and appears closer to the Mythicomyiidae, where it is tentatively placed in this catalog. Currently, 10 species of Acroceridae in 10 genera are known in the fossil record.

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

 

 

Genus ARCHAETERPHIS Hauser & Winterton

 

ARCHAETERPHIS Hauser & Winterton, 2007: 153. Type species: Archaeterphis henningi Hauser & Winterton, 2007, by original designation.

hennigi Hauser & Winterton, 2007: 153. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene) [A].

 

 

Genus BURMACYRTUS Grimaldi & Hauser

 

BURMACYRTUS Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011: 310. Type species: Burmacyrtus rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011, by original designation.

rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011: 311. OR: Burma (Upper Cretaceous) [A].

 

 

Genus EULOCHIELLA Meunier

 

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

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

 

 

Genus GLAESONCODES Hennig

 

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

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

 

 

Genus JURACYRTUS Nartshuk

 

JURACYRTUS Nartshuk, 1996: 313. Type species: Juracyrtus kovalevi Nartshuk, 1996, by original designation.

kovalevi Nartshuk, 1996: 313. PA: Karatau, Kazakhstan (Middle/Upper Jurassic) [C].

 

 

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 OGCODES

 

*OGCODES Latreille, 1797: 154. Type species: Musca gibbosa Linnaeus, 1758, by subsequent monotypy (Latreille, 1802: 432).

exotica Grimaldi, 1995: 2. NT: Dominican Republic (Miocene) [A].

 

 

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 SCHLINGEROMYIA Grimaldi & Hauser

 

SCHLINGEROMYIA Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011: 307. Type species: Schlingeromyia minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011, by original designation.

minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, 2011: 308. OR: Burma (Upper Cretaceous) [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].