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Family Hilarimorphidae

Hilarimorphidae  - Hilarimorpha - male Hilarimorphidae  - Hilarimorpha - male Living Hilarimorpha - Hilarimorpha Living Hilarimorpha - Hilarimorpha
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Hilarimorphidae
Explanation of Names
Hilarimorphidae Williston 1896
Numbers
36 spp. in 2 genera total(1)
Identification
Adults:
Head not hemispherical, occiput concave, vertex not or only slightly concave, eyes bare, male holoptic with eye facets smaller in lower third, female facets uniform, ocelli prominent on vertex with several short fine erect setae, ocellar tubercle usually elevated above dorsal level of eyes, antenna with 2 segmented apical stylus, pedicel setose, first flagellomere occasionally setose, stylus short, basal segment larger and globose than thinner apical segment, face relatively short, sometimes hairy, but without a mystax, parafacial setose or bare, occipital setae numerous, proboscis short, acute apically, labella usually well-developed and conspicuous, hypopharynx not developed for piercing, parafacial setose or bare
Postpronotal lobes small, widely separated medially with several short fine erect setae, scutum moderately arched dorsally, vittae usually indistinct, setae short, having no distinguishable pattern, macrosetae absent, scutellum short, subtriangular, setae short, row of apical setae, postalar calli small, with several short fine setae
Coxae short, tibiae lacking apical spurs, 3rd and 4th tarsomeres shorter than 5th, pulvilli large, distinct, tarsal claws simple, empodia absent
Wing membrane dusky, covered with microtrichia, branches of M not peculiarly curved, but if forwardly bent then not ending freely in wing margin, not bent in a crossvein-like manner, spurious vein undeveloped, C continuing around wing, crossvein h usually present, pterostigma present or absent, if present, pale to dark, covering apical half of R1 and origin of R2+3, veins brown, Rs with 3 branches, R1 ending in C near middle of wing, R4+5 forked, R5 ending at or near apex, M1+2 branched, M3 absent, cell dm absent, petiole of R4+5 always longer than petiole of M1+2, cell bm longer than cell br, cell bm pointed distally and with 3 corners from which arise M1+2, CuA1, and CuA2, cell cup long, closing at or near wing tip, calypters small, with complete fringe of long setae, alula rounded, anal angle oblique, halteres with numerous fine setae
Abdomen in male curved dorsally, globose distally, in female tapering, abrupt narrowing beyond segment 7. Small blackish empidid-like flies, 3-5 mm long
Remarks
Higher-level placement of this family is incredibly contentious. The larval stages are unknown, and once discovered, may prove invaluable to understanding its relationship within the lower Brachycera.
Works Cited
1.Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.