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

Range

Mostly Holarctic and temperate Neotropical

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.

In North America (north of Mexico) the genera other than Fannia have dichoptic males, yellow femora, and a brown or pollinose thorax. A Fanniidae with eyes nearly touching, black femora, or a shining black thorax belongs to genus Fannia. This does not work in reverse. Some species of Fannia have dichoptic males, for example.

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, Vox Sciurorum, v belov, Marci Hess
Last updated 10 September, 2024 - 12:15pm

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