Family PIPUNCULIDAE

 

Pipunculids, or big-headed flies, consist of about 700 species described worldwide in about 30 genera. All known extant forms are parasitic on Homoptera. Some are important biological control agents of leafhoppers, especially in rice growing area. Adults of living forms can be found hovering in low vegetation. Larvae are found as endoparasites in the abdomens of their auchenorrhynchus hosts.


Most pipunculid fossils are from the Tertiary. However, a possible pipunculid has been recorded from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Canada by McAlpine & Martin (1969). Other undetermined material has been recorded from the Oligocene/Miocene amber of the Dominican Republic (Poinar, 1992).

Ref.: Coe (1966, review of fossil forms), Raphael & De Meyer (1992, generic classification).

 

Genus CEPHALOSPHAERA Enderlein

*CEPHALOSPHAERA Enderlein, 1936: 129. Type species: Pipunculus furcatus Egger, 1860, by monotypy.

baltica Carpenter & Hull, 1939: 13. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus METANEPHROCERUS Aczél

METANEPHROCERUS Aczél, 1948: 120. Type species: Protonephrocerus collini Carpenter & Hull, 1939, by original designation.

collini Carpenter & Hull, 1939: 13 (Protonephrocerus). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus NEPHROCERUS Zetterstedt

NEPHROCERUS Zetterstedt, 1837: 34. Nomen nudum.
*NEPHROCERUS Zetterstedt, 1838: 578. Type species: Nephrocerus lapponicus Zetterstedt, 1838, by monotypy.

oligocenicus Carpenter & Hull, 1939: 12. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].


Genus PROTONEPHROCERUS Collin

*PROTONEPHROCERUS Collin, 1931: 52. Type species: Protonephrocerus chiloensis Collin, 1931, by original designation.

florissantius Carpenter & Hull, 1939: 14. NE: USA (Oligocene) [C].

 

Genus PROTOVERRALLIA Aczél

PROTOVERRALLIA Aczél, 1948: 108, 111. Type species: Pipunculus succini Aczél, 1948 [= Verrallia succinia Meunier, 1903], by monotypy.
[In the same work, Aczél treats Protoverrallia as both a hypothetical genus and a valid genus. It is here considered to be a valid genus nomenclaturally.]

succinia Meunier, 1903a: 150 (Verrallia). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
succini Loew, 1850b: 42 (Pipunculus). Nomen nudum.
succini Aczél, 1948: 111 (Pipunculus). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Genus VERRALLIA Mik

*VERRALLIA Mik, 1889: 137. Type species: Cephalops aucta Fallén, 1817, by original designation.

andreei Aczél, 1948: 110. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
andrei. Incorrect original spelling of andreei (Aczél, 1948: 166).
succinia, not Meunier, 1903, misidentification, (Carpenter & Hull, 1939: 11).
exstincta Meunier, 1903a: 148. PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].
extincta, error for exstincta.
kerteszia Meunier, 1903a 149 (as exstincta variety). PA: Baltic Region (Eocene/Oligocene) [A].

 

Nomen nudum in PIPUNCULIDAE

auctus Loew, 1850b: 42 (Pipunculus).