Athericidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Brachycera
Infraordo: Tabanomorpha

Familia: Athericidae
Genera (9 + 4†): Asuragina – Atherix – Atrichops – Dasyomma – Microphora – Pachybates – Suragina – Suraginella – Trichacantha – †Eoatrichops – †Galloatherix – †Notoatherix – †Sinocretomyia
Name

Athericidae
References

Myskowiak, J. & Nel, A. 2014. A new genus and species of ibis fly in the Lowermost Eocene amber of Oise (France) (Diptera: Athericidae). Zootaxa 3869(4): 372–382. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.2 Reference page.
Nel, A., De Ploëg, G. & Perrichot, V. 2014. The first ibis fly in mid-Cretaceous amber of France (Diptera: Athericidae). Zootaxa 3768(5): 591–595. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3768.5.6 Reference page.

Links

Athericidae – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Vernacular names
English: Water Snipe-flies
日本語: ナガレアブ科

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Brachycera
Infraordo: Tabanomorpha

Familia: Athericidae
Genera (9 + 4†): Asuragina – Atherix – Atrichops – Dasyomma – Microphora – Pachybates – Suragina – Suraginella – Trichacantha – †Eoatrichops – †Galloatherix – †Notoatherix – †Sinocretomyia
Name

Athericidae
References

Myskowiak, J. & Nel, A. 2014. A new genus and species of ibis fly in the Lowermost Eocene amber of Oise (France) (Diptera: Athericidae). Zootaxa 3869(4): 372–382. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.2 Reference page.
Nel, A., De Ploëg, G. & Perrichot, V. 2014. The first ibis fly in mid-Cretaceous amber of France (Diptera: Athericidae). Zootaxa 3768(5): 591–595. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3768.5.6 Reference page.

Links

Athericidae – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

Vernacular names
English: Water Snipe-flies
日本語: ナガレアブ科

Athericidae is a small family of flies known as water snipe flies or ibis flies. They used to be placed in the family Rhagionidae, but were removed by Stuckenberg in 1973. They are now known to be more closely related to Tabanidae. Species of Athericidae are found worldwide.

Ecology

The adults mostly feed on nectar but some species feed on mammal blood.[1] Hematophagy has been demonstrated in adult Suragina and Suraginella and is suspected in other genera. Larvae do not feed in the first instar; after first molting, they become predatory. Larvae typically prey on invertebrates or are saprophagous.

The larvae have distinctive morphology. Their head capsule is well developed dorsally, and they have long abdominal prolegs with crocheted hooks. These structures help the larvae move without being washed away in their preferred larval habitat, fast-flowing montane streams and torrents. The larvae are predators of other aquatic invertebrates such as caddisflies. Adults have stout, tapered abdomens, slightly elongated legs, with aristate antennae. Males are sexually dimorphic with holoptic eyes.

Adult athericids usually rest on the upper surface of leaves, near the streams from which they emerge, or more inland if they are looking for a blood meal. Athericids commonly stroke or palpate the surface of leaves, an action they share with the Tabanidae. All species deposit their eggs at one time and then die.
Subfamilies and genera

Two subfamilies are described; the Dasyommatinae contain only Dasyomma and all other extant genera are in the Athericinae.

Dasyommatinae
Dasyomma Macquart, 1840
Athericinae
Asuragina Yang & Nagatomi, 1992
Atherix Meigen, 1803
Atrichops Verrall, 1909
Ibisia Rondani, 1856
Microphora Krober, 1840
Pachybates Bezzi, 1926
Suragina Walker, 1858
Suraginella Stuckenberg, 2000
Trichacantha Stuckenberg, 1955
Xeritha Stuckenberg, 1966
Athericites † Mostovski, Jarzembowski & Coram, 2003
Succinatherix † Stuckenberg, 1974 Baltic amber, Eocene

References

Stubbs, A. & Drake, M. (2001). British Soldierflies and Their Allies: A Field Guide to the Larger British Brachycera. British Entomological & Natural History Society. pp. 512 pp. ISBN 1-899935-04-5.

Brian R. Stuckenberg: The Athericidae, a new family in the lower Brachycera (Diptera). Annals of the Natal Museum, 21, S. 649-673, 1973
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233727146_60_Diptera_Athericidae
http://www.waterbugkey.vcsu.edu/php/familydetail.php?idnum=7&show=1508&fa=Athericidae&o=Diptera&ls=larvae
http://www.periodico.ebras.bio.br/ojs/index.php/ebras/article/view/25/44 Archived 2017-09-26 at the Wayback Machine
http://bugguide.net/node/view/12756