Family Fanniidae

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Remarks · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon (Calyptratae)

Superfamily Muscoidea

Family Fanniidae

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

used to be treated as part of Muscidae(1); however, this monophyletic group is sister to the rest of the muscoids plus the Oestroidea(2)

Explanation of Names

Fanniidae Schnabl & Dziedzicki 1911

Numbers

4 genera, with >110 spp. in our area (all but 10 spp. are in Fannia)(1) and ~360 spp. worldwide(3)

Size

medium-sized to small

Identification

body and legs mainly dark; larvae flattened, with striking lateral protuberances

Two species that look alike, ID tips:

In Fanniidae Sc and R1 are widely separated and Sc is straight for most of its length.

In Lonchaeidae Sc is close to R1, the space between them is often darker, and the wing margin bulges out before the tip of Sc.

[John F. Carr]

Range

Mostly Holarctic and temperate Neotropical regions

Habitat

Larvae live as scavengers in various kinds of decaying organic matter.

Remarks

Males congregate in characteristic dancing swarms beneath trees; females are more retiring in habit.

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

2.	Molecular phylogeny of the Calyptratae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha)... S.N. Kutty, T. Pape, B.M. Wiegmann, R. Meier. 2010. Systematic Entomology 35: 614–635.

3.	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.

Contributed by Keith Bayless on 30 March, 2007 - 10:31am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, v belov, Marci Hess
Last updated 28 February, 2018 - 6:16pm

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