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Family
LONCHOPTERIDAE
Lonchopterids, commonly called spear-winged flies, are
a small but widely distributed family of flies comprised of approximately 35
species worldwide. Adults of extant forms are found in shady, humid and/or
semiaquatic habitats. Immature stages are found in detritus in moist
conditions.
Grimaldi & Cumming (1999) described two species in two
genera from the Lower Cretaceous ambers of Lebanon. Rohdendorf (1962: 340)
recorded undetermined material of the genus Lonchoptera (as ÒMusidoraÓ)
from Baltic amber, although Peterson (1987) appears to question this
record.
Genus LONCHOPTERA Meigen
MUSIDORA Meigen, 1800: 30. Suppressed by I.C.Z.N. (1963:
339).
*LONCHOPTERA
Meigen, 1803: 272. Type species: Lonchoptera lutea Panzer, 1809, by
subsequent monotypy in Panzer (1809: 20).
Unidentified
sp. - PA: Baltic Region (Eocene) [A] (Rohdendorf, 1962: 340).
Genus LONCHOPTERITES
Grimaldi & Cumming
LONCHOPTERITES Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999: 82. Type species: Lonchopterites prisca Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999, by original
designation.
prisca
Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999: 82. PA: Jordan (Lower Cretaceous) [A].
Genus LONCHOPTEROMORPHA
Grimaldi & Cumming
LONCHOPTEROMORPHA Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999: 93. Type species: Lonchopteromorpha asetocella Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999, by
original designation.
asetocella Grimaldi & Cumming, 1999: 93. PA: Jordan (Lower Cretaceous) [A].