Family BLEPHARICERIDAE

 

 




Blepharicerids, commonly called net-winged midges, are slender, small to medium-length nematocerous flies whose extant forms are most often found in association with swift moving streams where they rest on overhanging vegetation, bridges, and the like. Immature stages of the extant forms are aquatic, and live in the waters of the swift moving streams where they attach themselves to hard, smooth surfaces via ventral suckers. Larvae are grazers; most adult males do not feed; some females feed on other insects that they catch with specialized hind tarsi.

The described fossils listed here may not belong to the Blephariceridae. Alexander (1958) alleged that those fossils that were previously described in this family may belong in other nematocerous families: Paltostomopsis Cockerell possibly being a tipulid and Philorites Cockerell possibly being a bibionid. This view was subsequently followed by Hennig (1969c). These two genera are listed here provisionally pending further study to ascertain their true position within the Diptera.



            Despite these two questionable genera, since publication of the 1994 catalog there have been a number of true blepharicerids described from Mesozoic strata and a few different localities. In addition to those described taxa listed below, undetermined material identified as Blephariceridae has been recorded from the Upper Cretaceous amber deposits of Burma (Grimaldi et al., 2002) and the Eocene/Oligocene deposits of the Isle of Wight (Jarzembowski, 1978: 251).


Ref:: Carpenter (1992, world fossils).



 

 

Genus BLEPHADEJURA Lukashevich, Huang & Lin

 

BLEPHADEJURA Lukashevich, Huang & Lin, 2006: 132. type species Blephadejura propria Lukashevich, Huang & Lin, 2006, by original designation.

propria Lukashevich, Huang & Lin, 2006: 133. PA: China (Middle Jurassic) [C].

 

 

Genus BRIANINA Zhang & Lukashevich

 

BRIANINA Zhang & Lukashevich, 2007: 303. Type species: Brianina longitibialis Zhang & Lukashevich

longitibialis Zhang & Lukashevich, 2007: 303. PA: China (Middle Jurassic) [C].

 

 

Genus MEGATHON Lukashevich & Shcherbakov

 

MEGATHON Lukashevich & Shcherbakov, 1997: 640. Type species: Megathon zwicki Lukashevich & Shcherbakov, 1997, by original designation.

brodskyi Zhang & Lukashevich, 2007: 103. PA: China (Middle Jurassic) [C].

zwicki Lukashevich & Shcherbakov, 1997: 642. PA: Russia (Siberia) (Upper Cretaceous) [C].

 

 

Questionably Included in BLEPHARICERIDAE

 

Genus PALTOSTOMOPSIS Cockerell

 

PALTOSTOMOPSIS Cockerell, 1915c: 489. Type species: Paltostomopsis ciliatus Cockerell, 1915, by original designation.



ciliata Cockerell, 1915c: 490. PA: UK (England) (Eocene/Oligocene) [C].



 

 

Genus PHILORITES Cockerell

 

PHILORITES Cockerell, 1908f: 264. Type species: Philorites johannseni Cockerell, 1908, by monotypy.



johannseni Cockerell, 1908f: 264. NE: USA (Eocene) [C].


pallescens Cockerell, 1920a: 250. NE: USA (Eocene) [C].