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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Sphaeroceroidea » Lesser Dung Flies (Sphaeroceridae) » Limosininae » Rachispoda

Genus Rachispoda

Classification · Identification · Habitat · Remarks · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Sphaeroceroidea

Family Sphaeroceridae (Lesser Dung Flies)

Subfamily Limosininae

Genus Rachispoda

Identification

Inward-pointing anterior dorsocentral or intra-alar bristles distinguish Rachispoda from Leptocera.

Use Wheeler 1995 (1) to place into species group.

Habitat

Biology poorly known, but are often found associated with muddy substrates. Some are adapted to saline habitats such as seashores and salt marshes. (1)

Remarks

Species groups: (1)

aequipilosa group (SE Nearctic, Neotropical)

atra group (Nearctic, rarely Neotropical)

Rachispoda arnaudi Wheeler - southwest

Rachispoda atra (Adams) - southwest

Rachispoda canadensis Wheeler - widespread

Rachispoda digitata Wheeler - southwest

Rachispoda falcicula Wheeler - California

Rachispoda mexicana Wheeler - southwest

Rachispoda pectinata Wheeler - western

Rachispoda subsolana Wheeler - eastern

Rachispoda subulata Wheeler - southwest

cryptica group (Nearctic, mostly western)

fumipennis group (Nearctic, rarely Neotropical Mexico)

fuscinervis group (Neotropical, rarely SE Nearctic)

fuscipennis group (cosmopolitan, 1 New World species)

Rachispoda fuscipennis (Haliday) - widespread, primarily a shoreline species

limosa group (Holarctic)

Rachispoda anathema Wheeler - western

Rachispoda cryptistyla Wheeler - northeast, rarely western

Rachispoda frosti (Johnson) - northeast

Rachispoda hoplites (Spuler) - northwest, rarely eastern

Rachispoda limosa (Fallen) - widespread (Holarctic)

lutosa group (Nearctic, rarely Central America/Caribbean)

m-nigrum group (SE Nearctic, Neotropical)

vespertina group (western Nearctic)

Rachispoda lacustrina Wheeler - northwest

Rachispoda spatulata Wheeler - western, esp. California/Mexico

Rachispoda vespertina Wheeler - western

Neotropical species groups not found in BugGuide's area:

divergens group (Neotropical)

maculinea group (Neotropical)

marginalis group (Neotropical)

Works Cited

1.	Systematics of the New World Rachispoda Lioy (Diptera: Sphaeroceridae): morphology, key to species groups, and revisions... Wheeler, T.A. 1995. Journal of Natural History, 29:1, 159-230.

Contributed by Matthias Buck on 4 February, 2010 - 6:24pm
Additional contributions by Bbarnd, Vox Sciurorum
Last updated 15 October, 2024 - 10:08pm

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