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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Sphaeroceroidea » Heleomyzidae

Family Heleomyzidae

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · See Also · Works Cited

Pseudoleria male? - Pseudoleria parvitarsus - male

Drosophila immigrans - Amoebaleria helvola

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Sphaeroceroidea

Family Heleomyzidae

Other Common Names

Sun Flies, Heleomyzid Flies

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Helomyzidae, Heteromyzidae, Trixoscelidae(1)

reviewed in (2)

Explanation of Names

Heleomyzidae Westwood 1840

Numbers

113 spp. in 34 genera in our area(3), ~740 spp. in 76 genera total(4)

Size

2-7.5 mm(3)

Identification

Small or medium-sized flies with prominent hairs

antennae aristate (bristle projecting upward), with three segments, the third segment short and rounded

vibrissae present

costa usually with prominent spines

middle tibia with preapical dorsal bristle

Range

most diverse in the Holarctic Region

Habitat

Usually in shaded areas, typically near rotting matter (compost, dung, carrion etc.) or fungi; some associated with caves(5) or bird/mammal nests(3)

Season

Tend to be common in early spring and late fall; some species may appear in winter, even in northern areas(5)

See Also

Scathophagidae and Sciomyzidae may look superficially similar

Works Cited

1.	A Dictionary of Entomology George Gordh, David H. Headrick. 2003. CABI Publishing.

2.	The heleomyzid flies of America north of Mexico (Diptera: Heleomyzidae) Gill, G.D. 1962. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 113: 495-603.

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

4.	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.

5.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.

Contributed by Joel Kits on 11 March, 2005 - 9:42pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Keith Bayless, Aaron Schusteff, v belov, Chris Angell
Last updated 24 May, 2023 - 1:05pm

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