Family Platypezidae - Flat-footed Flies

Smoke Flies - because they are fond of wood smoke(1)

Genera treated in the Opetiinae in (2) now belong to 2 diff. subfamilies, Melanderomyiinae and Microsaniinae; the Palaearctic genus Opetia is now considered to be a sole member of its own family, Opetiidae

Platypezidae Latreille 1829

4 subfamilies, with ~70 spp. in 17 genera in our area(3) and ~300 spp. in ~30 genera total(4)

Mostly 2‒5 mm (Calotarsa 6‒10 mm)

Mostly n. hemisphere, incl. much of NA

Late summer‒fall

Adults may feed on fungi. Some groups take honeydew from leaves(5)

Males sometimes swarm, and females are attracted to these swarms. Some are attracted to smoke. Larvae live on fungi, some genera are associated with stinkhorn mushrooms. The elongated tarsi may be an adaptation for spreading host spores. Have a strong propensity to form swarms. Maybe the smell of smoke triggers them to anticipate fire-loving fungi growth that occur on charred remains after a forest fire.(1)