Ropalomeridae

Ropalomeridae
figure 3
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Superfamily: Sciomyzoidea
Family: Ropalomeridae [1]
Linder, 1930 [2]
Synonyms

Rhopalomeridae

The Ropalomeridae are a family of acalyptrate flies.[1]

Description

Ropalomeridae are robust flies of 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in) body length, with a superficial resemblance to the Sarcophagidae in terms of body colour. The hind femora are conspicuously enlarged and the hind tibia is often laterally flattened and broadened and with broad, excavated frons.[3]

Biology

The biology of ropalomerid flies is little known, although they are thought to associated with rotting wood.[2]

Classification

The Ropalomeridae currently comprise 29 species distributed in eight genera. Ropalomera is by far the largest genus of the family, with 15 known species.[3]

Distribution

The Ropalomeridae are predominantly Neotropical, found from the southern United States to northern Argentina, with a single species (Rhytidops floridensis) known from the Nearctic region. Most species occur in the central portion of South America.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Brake, Irina (5 December 2011). "Ropalomeridae". The Diptera Site. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Ibáñez-Bernal, Sergio; Hernández-Ortiz, Vicente (2010). "76". In Brown, B.V., Borkent, A., Cumming, J.M., Wood, D.M., Woodley, N.E., and Zumbado, M. Manual of Central American Diptera. (Print) 2. Ottawa, Canada: NRC Research Press. pp. 1025–1030. ISBN 0-660-19958-0.
  3. 1 2 Kirst, Frederico Dutra; Ale-Rocha, Rosaly (2012). "Taxonomic revision of the Amazonian species of Ropalomera Wiedemann, 1824 (Diptera: Ropalomeridae)" (PDF excerpt). Zootaxa 3151: 1–27.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.