Rhagionidae

Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small family of flies. They get their name from the similarity of their often prominent proboscis that looks like the beak of a snipe.[3]

Rhagionidae
Temporal range:
Rhagio scolopaceus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Brachycera
Infraorder: Tabanomorpha
Superfamily: Rhagionoidea
Family: Rhagionidae
Latreille, 1802[1]
Synonyms

Description

Rhagionidae are medium-sized to large flies with slender bodies and stilt-like legs. The mouthparts are adapted for piercing and many species are haematophagous as adults, while others are predatory on other insects. They are typically brown and yellow flies, and lack bristles. The larvae are also predatory and are mostly terrestrial, although some are aquatic.[4]

Snipe flies in the genus Rhagio are sometimes called "down-looker" flies after their habit of perching head-downward on tree trunks.

Classification
Rhagio mystaceus
"down-looker fly"
Chrysopilus thoracicus mating - Female(top) and Male(bottom)

The family is contained in Brachycera infraorder Tabanomorpha, and several of its constituent groups have been recently elevated to family rank. Atherix (and related genera) now comprise the Athericidae, Vermileo (and related genera) now comprise the Vermileonidae, and the genera Austroleptis and Bolbomyia are each now the sole members of their own families (Austroleptidae and Bolbomyiidae).[5]

Rhagio scolopaceus
exhibiting its "down-looker" behaviour

List of subfamilies and genera

Arthrocerinae Williston, 1886[6]

Chrysopilinae Bezzi, 1903[7]

Rhagioninae Latreille, 1802[1]

Spaniinae Frey, 1954[10]

Incertae sedis

See also

Further reading
  • Bezzi, M. 1928. Diptera Brachycera and Athericera of the Fiji Islands based on material in the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum (Natural History), London. viii + 220 pp.
  • Lindner, E 1924–1925. Rhagionidae in Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region 4 (20) 1–49. ISBN 3-510-43016-6 Keys to genera and species.
  • Stuckenberg, B., 1960. Diptera (Brachycera): Rhagionidae. S.Afr. anim. Life 7: 216–308 Keys to genera and species.
  • Stuckenberg, B., 1965. The Rhagionidae of Madagascar (Diptera). Ann.Natal Mus. 18:89–170. Keys to genera and species.
  • Leonard, M. D., 1930. A revision of the Dipterous family Rhagionidae (Leptidae) in the United States and Canada, Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 7:1–181.[22]
  • Malloch, J. R., 1932. Rhagionidae, Therevidae. British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Entomology [eds] Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile, based mainly on material in the British Museum (Natural History). Part V. Fascicle 3. - Rhagionidae (Leptidae), Therevidae, Scenopinidae, Mydaidae, Asilidae, Lonchopteridae. pp. 199–293.
  • Nagatomi, A. & Soroida, K., 1985. The structure of the mouthparts of the orthorrhaphous Brachycera (Diptera) with special reference to blood-sucking. Beitr. Ent. 35 (2): 263–368, 480.

References
  1. Latreille, P.A. (1802). Histoire naturelle, generale et particuliere, des crustaces et des insectes. Tome troisieme. Paris: Dufart. pp. xii + 13–467 + 1 pp.
  2. Burmeister, H.C. (1837). Handbuch der Naturgeschichte. [Part 2]. Berlin: Enslin. pp. xii + pp. 369–858.
  3. Snipe Fly (Family Rhagionidae) uwm.edu, 1 July 2014
  4. Watson & Dallwitz
  5. Kerr, Peter H. (2010). "Phylogeny and classification of Rhagionidae, with implications for Tabanomorpha (Diptera: Brachycera)". Zootaxa. 2592 (1): 1–133.
  6. Williston, S.W. (1886). "On two interesting genera of Leptidae". Entomologica Americana. 2: 105–108.
  7. Bezzi, M. (1903). "Orthorrhapha Brachycera. 396 pp. In Becker, T., Bezzi, M., Bischof, J., Kertesz, K. & Stein, P. (eds.)". Katalog der palaarktischen Dipteren. 2: 1–396.
  8. Macquart, P.J.M. (1826). "Insectes diptères du nord de la France. Asiliques, bombyliers, xylotomes, leptides, stratiomyides, xylophagites et tabaniens". Mem. Soc. Sci. Agric. Arts, Lille. 1825: 324–499, 3 pls.
  9. Bezzi, M. (1916). "Studies in Philippine Diptera. II". Monogr. Philipp. Bur. Sci. 10: 1–59, 1 pl. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  10. Frey, R. (1954). "Studien über ostasiatische Dipteren. III. Rhachiceridae, Rhagionidae, Hilarimorphidae". Notul. entomol. 34: 1–25.
  11. Bezzi, M. (1926). "South African Rhagionidae (Diptera) in the South African Museum". Annals of the South African Museum. 23: 297–324. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  12. White, A. (1914). "The Diptera-Brachycera of Tasmania. Part I. Families Leptidae, Stratiomyidae, Nemestrinidae, & Cyrtidae. Pap". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. 1914: 35–74. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.19950.
  13. Brunetti, E. (1912). "New Oriental Diptera. I". Records of the Indian Museum. 7: 445–513, pl. 37. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  14. Fabricius, J.C. (1775). Systema entomologiae, sistens insectorum classes, ordines, genera, species, adiectis synonymis, locis, descriptionibus, observationibus. Flensbvrgi et Lipsiae [= Flensburg & Leipzig]: Kortii. pp. [32] + 832. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  15. Chillcott, J.G. (1963). "A new genus of Rhagionidae (Diptera) with notes and description of Bolbomyia Loew". The Canadian Entomologist. 95: 1185–1190.
  16. Becker, T. (1900). "Die Leptiden-Formen im Gebiete der Europaisch-Asiatischen und Mittelmeer-Fauna". Entomologische Nachrichten. 26: 97–116. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  17. Kovalev, V.G.; Mostovski, M.B. (1997). "A new genus of rhagionid-flies (Diptera, Rhagionidae) from Mesozoic deposits of the Eastern Transbaikalia". Paleont. Zhur. 5: 86–90.
  18. Zetterstedt, J.W. (1842). Diptera Scandinaviae disposita et descripta. Tomus primus. Lundae [= Lund.].: Officina Lundbergiana. pp. iii-xvi + 1–440. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  19. Meigen JW (1830). Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekten. (Volume 6) (PDF) (in German). Schulz-Wundermann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-09.
  20. Frauenfeld, G.R. von (1867). "Zoologische Miscellen XI". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 17: 425–502, pl. 12. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  21. Nagatomi, A.; Saigusa, T. (1982). "[New genus] p. 40. In Nagatomi, A. 1982. The genera of Rhagionidae (Diptera)". Journal of Natural History. 16: 31–70.
  22. Leonard, Mortimer D. (1930). "A revision of the dipterous family Rhagionidae (Leptidae) in the United States and Canada". Memoirs of the American Entomological Society. 7: 1–181, 3 pls. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
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