Family Lonchopteridae - Pointed-winged Flies

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

Fly in grass - Lonchoptera bifurcata - female

Lonchoptera sp. . - Lonchoptera bifurcata

Lonchoptera bifurcata? - Lonchoptera bifurcata

Pointed-winged Fly - Lonchoptera bifurcata - female

Lonchoptera bifurcata - Maybe? - Lonchoptera

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Aschiza")

Superfamily Platypezoidea

Family Lonchopteridae (Pointed-winged Flies)

Other Common Names

Spear-winged Flies

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

some workers recognize multiple genera, but these are inadequately defined(1)

Explanation of Names

Lonchopteridae Macquart 1823

Numbers

a single genus, with 7 spp. in our area and ~55 described spp. worldwide + many undescribed (esp. in se. Asia)(1) [65 spp. in 6 genera total per(2)]

Size

2-5 mm(1)

Identification

apically pointed wing is unique

key to NA spp. in(1)

Range

see Lonchoptera

Habitat

larvae under leaves and decaying plant remains in gardens, forests, and meadows in both dry and moist locations; adults occur, often in large numbers, in humid places near water (incl. hot springs), in shady woods with thick leaf litter, in rocky tidal zones, and in dry-meadow and mountain-meadow vegetation(3)

Food

adult feed on nectar(3)

Remarks

Most known species are bisexual. In some species (e.g., L. bifurcata) males are rare or nonexistent, and females are parthenogenetic(3)

Works Cited

1.	Review of the Nearctic Lonchopteridae (Diptera), including descriptions of three new species Klymko J., Marshall S.A. 2008. The Canadian Entomologist 140: 649-673.

2.	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.

3.	Manual of Nearctic Diptera Volume 2 Varies for each chapter; edited by J.F. McAlpine, B.V. Petersen, G.E. Shewell, H.J. Teskey, J.R. Vockeroth, D.M. Wood. 1987. Research Branch Agriculture Canada.

Contributed by tom murray on 24 August, 2005 - 6:49am
Additional contributions by Keith Bayless, Bbarnd, Graham M, v belov
Last updated 26 December, 2014 - 12:13am

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