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Diptera

Archidiptera
Eudiptera
Brachycera

Diptera are insects in which the hind wings are reduced to halteres.

Contents

Synonyms and common names

Flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges are the species in this order. In compound names containing "fly" for members of this order, the name is written as two words as in "crane fly". For insects that are members of other orders the name is written as a single word as in "butterfly".

Subdivision

About 85,000 species of insect have only two wings and are classified as members of Diptera, There are two generally accepted sub-orders of Diptera. The Nematocera are usually recognized by their elongated bodies and feathery antennae as represented by mosquitoes and crane flies. The Brachycera tend to have a more roundly proportioned body and very short antennae.

Beyond that, considerable revision in the taxonomy of the flies has taken place since the introduction of modern cladistic techniques, and much remains uncertain. The secondary ranks between the sub-orders and the families are more out of practical considerations than out of any strict respect for phylogenetic classifications. (Modern cladists tend to spurn the use of any rank names.) Several of the classifications used now in this article remain paraphyletic groupings; this is particularly notable in the Orthorrapha.

Family names

Families in the list below marked with a plus sign are extinct.

Nematocera

  • +Ansorgiidae
  • +Antefungivoridae
  • Baenotidae - synonym for Cecidomyiidae
  • +Boholdoyidae
  • Corethrellidae - rank in Chaoboridae
  • Cramptonomyiidae - rank in Pachyneuridae
  • +Crosaphididae
  • Dixamimidae - extinct (Middle Jurassic) rank in Chaoboridae
  • +Elliidae
  • +Gracilitipulidae
  • Grauvogeliidae
  • Hennigmatidae
  • Hyperoscelididae - rank in Canthoscelididae
  • Leptocenopidae - rank in Ceratopogonidae
  • Lestremiidae - synonym for Cecidomyiidae
  • +Limnorhyphidae
  • +Luanpingitidae
  • Macroceridae - rank in Keroplatidae
  • +Mesosciophilidae
  • Mycetobiidae - rank in Anisopodidae
  • Nadipteridae
  • Olbiogastridae - rank in Anisopodidae
  • Oreodomyiidae
  • Orphnephilidae - rank in Thaumaleidae
  • +Parapleciidae
  • Penthrediidae - rank in Bibionidae
  • Phragmoligoneuridae - synonym for extinct Protopliciidae
  • Pleciidae - rank in Bibionidae
  • +Procramptonomyiidae
  • Rhaetomyiidae extinct (Upper Triassic) rank in Chaoboridae
  • Rhyphidae - rank in Anisopodidae
  • +Serendipidae
  • +Siberhyphidae
  • +Sinotendipedidae
  • Synneuridae - rank in Canthoscelididae
  • +Zhangobiidae

Cyclorrhapha - Acalyptratae

  • Borboridae - synonym for Sphaeroceridae
  • Borboropsidae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Calobatidae - rank in Micropezidae
  • Campichoetidae - rank in Diastatidae
  • Canacidae - misspelling of Canaceidae
  • Centrioncidae - rank in Diopsidae
  • Chiropteromyzidae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Cnemosphathidae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Cremifaniidae - rank in Chamaemyiidae
  • Cypselidae - synonym for Sphaeroceridae
  • Diopseidae - misspelling of Diopsidae
  • Eurygnathomyidae - rank in Pallopteridae
  • Euxestidae - rank in Ulidiidae
  • Helcomyzidae - rank in Dryomyzidae
  • Heterocheilidae - rank in Dryomyzidae
  • Heteromyzidae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Huttoninidae - rank in Sciomyzidae
  • Mindidae - synonym for Chloropidae
  • Nannodastidae - rank in Chyromyidae
  • Neottiophilidae - rank in Piophilidae
  • Notomyzidae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Otitidae - rank in Ulidiidae
  • Phaeomyiidae - rank in Sciomyzidae
  • Phycodromidae - synonym for Coelopidae
  • Proneottiophilidae - rank in Psilidae
  • Pterocallidae - rank in Ulidiidae
  • Rhinotoridae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Rhopalomeridae - misspelling of Ropalomeridae
  • Risidae - rank in Ephydridae
  • Sapromyzidae - rank in Lauxaniidae
  • Sepsididae - misspelling of sepsidae
  • Siphonellopsidae - rank in Chloropidae
  • Stenomicridae - rank in Persicelididae
  • Strongylophthalmyiidae - rank in Tanypezidae
  • Stylogastridae (or Stylogasteridae) - rank in Conopidae
  • Taeniapteridae - rank in Micropezidae
  • Thyreophoridae - rank in Piophilidae
  • Trixoscelididae - rank in Heleomyzidae
  • Trypetidae - rank in Tephritidae
  • Tunisimyiidae - rank in Xenasteiidae
  • Tylidae - rank in Micropezidae

Cyclorrhapha - Calyptratae

  • Acridomyiidae - rank in Anthomyiidae
  • Anthomylidae - misspelling of Anthomyiidae
  • Axiniidae - rank in Rhinophoridae
  • Cordyluridae - rank in Scathophagidae
  • Cuterebridae - rank in Oestridae
  • Dexiidae - rank in Tachinidae
  • Eginiidae - rank in Muscidae
  • Gastrophilidae - rank in Oestridae
  • Hypodermatidae - rank in Oestridae
  • Leucostomatidae - rank in Sarcophagidae
  • Mesembrinellidae - rank in Calliphoridae
  • Phasiidae - rank in Tachinidae
  • Scatophagidae - misspelling of Scathophagidae ; Scatophagidae is a family of fish
  • Stackelbergomyiidae - rank in Tachinidae
  • Villeneuviellidae - rank in Calliphoridae

Cyclorrhapha - Aschiza

  • Aenigmatiidae - rank in Phoridae
  • Microdontidae - rank in Syrphidae
  • Termitoxeniidae - rank in Phoridae
  • Thaumatoxenidae - rank in Phoridae
  • Orthorrhapha
    • Acanthomeridae - rank in Pantophthalmidae
    • Apsilocephalidae - rank in Therevidae
    • Atelestidae - rank in Empedidae
    • Coenomyiidae - rank in Xylophagidae
    • Cyrtosiidae - rank in Mythicomyiidae
    • Exeretonevridae - rank in Xylophagidae
    • Glutopidae - rank in Pelecorhychidae
    • Heterostomidae - rank in Xylophagidae
    • Hilarimorphidae - rank in Empididae
    • Hybotidae - rank in Empedidae
    • Microphoridae - rank in Empedidae
    • Mydaidae - misspelling of Mydidae
    • Palaeostratiomyiidae - extinct (Middle Jurassic) rank in Rhagionidae
    • Protobrachycerontidae - extinct (Lower Jurassic) rank in Vermileonidae
    • Protocyrtidae - extinct (Middle Jurassic) rank in Heloridae , Hymenoptera - originally misidentified as Diptera
    • Rachiceridae - rank in Xylophagidae
    • Solvidae - rank in Xylomyidae
    • Stratiomyiidae - misspelling for Stratiomyidae
    • Systropodidae - rank in Bomby;idae
    • Usiidae - rank in Bomby;idae

Higher level invalid names

  • Anthomyiidea - superfamily, now in Muscoidea
  • Asilidea - rank in Asiloidea
  • Asilomorpha - synonym for infraorder Orthorrhapha
  • Bibionidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Bolitophilidea - invalid superfamily in Bibionomorpha
  • Bombyliidea - rank in Asiloidea
  • Borboridea - rank in family Stratiomyomorpha
  • Braulomorpha - infraorder, now in superfamily Carnoidea
  • Chironomidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Chloropidea - superfamily, now in Carnoidea
  • Conopidea - rank in Conopoidea
  • Culicidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Culicimorpha - misspelling? of Culicomorpha
  • Dixidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Drosophiloidea - superfamily, roughly equivalent to Ephydroidea
  • Empididea - rank in Empidoidea
  • Gastrophilidea - rank in family Oestridae
  • Glossinidea - rank in superfamily Hippoboscoidea
  • Heleomyzidea - superfamily, redistributed to Sphaeroceroidea , Sciomyzoidea and Opomyzoidea
  • Hippoboscidea - rank in superfamily Hippoboscoidea
  • Mesophantasmatidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Muscidea - rank in superfamily Muscoidea
  • Musidoromorpha - rank in superfamily Platypezoidea
  • Myiomorpha - infraorder, roughly equivalent to Cyclorrhapha
  • Nycteribiomorpha - rank in superfamily Hippoboscoidea
  • Oestridea - rank in supefamily Oestroidea
  • Orphnephilidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Pachyneuridea - invalid superfamily in Bibionomorpha
  • Phoromorpha - rank in superfamily Platypezoidea
  • Phragmoligoneuridea - extinct rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Platypezidea - rank in superfamily Platypezoidea
  • Psilidea - superfamily, redistributed to Diopsoidea and Nerioidea
  • Rhaetomyiidea - rank in infraorder Culicomorpha
  • Rhyphidea - rank in infraorder Bibionomorpha
  • Sapromyzidea - superfamily, redistributed between Lauxanioidea and Tephritoidea
  • Sarcophagidea - rank in superfamily Oestroidea
  • Somatiidea - superfamily, now in Diopsoidea
  • Stratiomyidea - synonym for superfamily Stratiomyomorpha
  • Streblomorpha - rank in superfamily Hippoboscoidea
  • Syrphidea - rank in superfamily Syrphoidea
  • Tabanidea - synonym for superfamily Tabanomorpha
  • Tachinidea - rank in superfamily Oestroidea
  • Termitoxeniomorpha - rank in superfamily Platypezoidea
  • Trypetidea - superfamily, now in superfamily Tephritoidea

References

As of 2005-04-15

  • Catalog of Neartic Diptera http://www.nearctica.com/nomina/diptera/diptera.htm
  • The Diptera Site http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/biosys.htm
  • Diptera.info http://www.diptera.info/
  • The Bishop Museum Catalog of Fossil Diptera http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/fossilcat/
  • The Tree of Life Project http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Diptera
  • The Integrated Taxonomic Information System http://www.itis.usda.gov/index.html
  • The National Center for Biotechnology Information http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi
  • Katalog der Dipteren Bayerns http://www.zsm.mwn.de/Diptera/Dipt_Bay.htm
  • Species Accounts http://www.speciesaccounts.org/Diptera.htm
  • Systema Naturae http://sn2000.taxonomy.nl/

Last updated: 06-02-2005 13:27:29
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46