Family RHAGIONEMPIDIDAE




Rohdendorf (1962) originally proposed the family Rhagionempididae for the single Jurassic genus Rhagionempis Rohdendorf, 1938, known at the time only from the Karatau deposits in Kazakhstan. Kovalev in Kalugina & Kovalev (1985) added the genera Probolbomyia Ussatchev and Ussatchovia Kovalev and treated the group as a subfamily within the Rhagionidae. Nagatomi et al. (1991) reviewed and gave a key to the genera, added the genus Palaeoptiolina Kovalev, and treated the group as a separate family related to the Empididae based on wing venation and antennal characters. It should be noted that figure 9 in Nagatomi et al. (1991: 595) which depicts "Rhagionempis dimidiata Meigen" [a recent species], is actually of the genus Rhagionempis Engel [preoccupied, = Leptempis Collin], not Rhagionempis Rohdendorf. All true Rhagionempididae are known only from fossils.

Lukashevich (1994) removed the genus Shevioptera Kalugina from the Eoptychopteridae and said it was close to the genera Rhagionempis and Ussatchovia. Shevioptera is treated in this catalog as questionably included in the Rhagionempididae pending further study.

In addition to the determined Mesozoic material listed here, undetermined Tertiary material of this family has been recorded from the Eocene amber deposits of the Caucasus (Zherichin, 1978: 15).

Ref.: Nagatomi et al. (1991, review of and key to genera).


Genus PALAEOPTIOLINA Kovalev

PALAEOPTIOLINA Kovalev, 1982: 89 (88). Type species: Palaeoptiolina scobloi Kovalev, 1982, by original designation.
scobloi Kovalev, 1982: 90 (89). PA: Russia (Siberia) (Middle Jurassic) [C].


Genus PROBOLBOMYIA Ussatchev

PROBOLBOMYIA Ussatchev, 1968: 620 (380). Type species: Probolbomyia modesta Ussatchev, 1968, by original designation.
modesta Ussatchev, 1968: 620 (380). PA: Kazakhstan (Upper Jurassic) [C].


Genus RHAGIONEMPIS Rohdendorf

RHAGIONEMPIS Rohdendorf, 1938: 34. Type species: Rhagionempis tabanicornis Rohdendorf, 1938, by original designation.
tabanicornis Rohdendorf, 1938: 35. PA: Kazakhstan (Upper Jurassic) [C].
Unidentified sp.-PA: Russia (Stavropol) (Eocene) [A] (Zherichin, 1978: 15).


Genus USSATCHOVIA Kovalev

USSATCHOVIA Kovalev, 1982: 91 (92). Type species: Ussatchovia jurassica Kovalev, 1982, by original designation.
jurassica Kovalev, 1982: 92 (93). PA: Russia (Siberia) (Middle Jurassic) [C].


Questionably Included in RHAGIONEMPIDIDAE

Genus SHEVIOPTERA Kalugina

SHEVIOPTERA Kalugina, 1989: 73 (1990: 69). Type species: Shevioptera sinitsae Kalugina, 1989, by original designation.
sinitsae Kalugina, 1989: 73 (1990: 69). PA: Russia (Siberia) (Upper Jurassic/ Lower Cretaceous) [C].


This page last revised 17 February 1997 by nle