Celyphidae

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: Muscomorpha
Sectio: Schizophora
Subsectio: Acalyptrata
Superfamilia: Lauxanioidea

Familia: Celyphidae
Genera (7): Acelyphus – Atopocelyphus – Celyphus – Chamaecelyphus – Idiocelyphus – Oocelyphus – Spaniocelyphus

[source: Catalogue of Life: 2013 Annual Checklist]

Check (4): Afrocelyphus – Epicelyphus – Hemiglobus – Paracelyphus
References

Gaimari, S.D. 2017. The dipteran family Celyphidae in the New World, with discussion of and key to world genera (Insecta, Diptera). ZooKeys 711: 113—130. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.711.20840. Reference page.
Tenorio, J.M. 1972: A revision of the Celyphidae (Diptera) of the Oriental Region. Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London, 123(4): 359–453. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1972.tb00847.x

Selected links

Images on flickr: 1 2

Vernacular names
English: beetle fly
中文: 铠蝇科

The Celyphidae, commonly known as beetle flies or beetle-backed flies, are a family of flies (order Diptera). About 115 species in about 9 genera are known chiefly from the Oriental and Afrotropic biogeographic regions with one lineage in the New World.

Description

Celyphidae are small to medium-sized and easily recognised. The scutellum is enlarged, and forming a protective shell over the abdomen, giving them a beetle-like appearance. Also, like many beetles, Celyphidae are often shiny or metallic in color. The head has few bristles. The wings, when at rest, are folded beneath the scutellar "shell". The arista of the antenna is often flattened and leaf-like at the base. The family name is derived from the Greek word κέλυφος for pod or shell. Male celyphids lack an aedeagus and instead have paired gonapophyses that are used in copulation and are of key taxonomic value.[3][4]
A live specimen from Shendurney Hills, Kerala, India
Biology

The biology of the family is poorly known. Adults are found along streams and rivers, and in wet, grassy areas. Larvae are saprophagous.
Relatives

The family Celyphidae is considered by most authors to be the sister taxon of the Lauxaniidae (e.g., Griffiths 1972), and this has been supported by some molecular studies which suggest the (Chamaemyiidae + (Lauxaniidae + Celyphidae)) within the Lauxanoiodea.[5] In the past they have occasionally been considered a specialized lineage within the Lauxaniidae.[6]
Classification

Genus Acelyphus Malloch, 1929[7] - Asia[8]
Genus Atopocelyphus, Gaimari, 2017 - French Guiana[9]
Genus Celyphus Dalman, 1818[2] - Africa and Asia[8]
Subgenus Celyphus Dalman, 1818 - Asia
Subgenus Hemiglobus Frey, 1941[10] - Africa
Subgenus Paracelyphus Bigot, 1859 - Asia
Genus Chamaecelyphus Frey, 1941[10] - Africa
Genus Idiocelyphus Malloch, 1929[7] - Asia
Genus Oocelyphus Chen, 1949[11] - southern China
Genus Spaniocelyphus Hendel, 1914[12] - Africa and Asia

References

Bigot, Jacques-Marie-Frangille (1852). "Essai d'une classification generale et synoptique de l'ordre des insectes dipteres". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 2. 10: 471–489. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
Dalman, J. W. (1818). "Nagra nya genera och species af insekter". Svenska VetenskAkad. Handl. 39 (3): 69–89.
Tenorio, Joann M. (2009-04-24). "A revision of the Celyphidae (Diptera) of the Oriental Region*". Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 123 (4): 359–453. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2311.1972.tb00847.x. ISSN 0035-8894.
Tenorio, JoAnn M. (1969). "A revision of the Celyphidae (Diptera) from the Philippine Islands" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 11 (3–4): 579–611.
Li, Xuankun; Li, Wenliang; Ding, Shuangmei; Cameron, Stephen L.; Mao, Meng; Shi, Li; Yang, Ding (2017-04-14). "Mitochondrial Genomes Provide Insights into the Phylogeny of Lauxanioidea (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha)". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 18 (4): 773. doi:10.3390/ijms18040773. PMC 5412357. PMID 28420076.
Lauxanioidea Tree of Life Web Project
Malloch, J.R. (1929). "Notes on some Oriental sapromyzid flies (Diptera), with particular reference to the Philippine species". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 74 (6): 1–97. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.74-2751.1. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
Tenorio, JoAnn M. (1969). "A Revision of the Celyphidae (DIPTERA) From the Philippine Islands" (PDF). Pacific Insects. Hawaii Biological Survey. 11 (3–4): 579–611. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
Gaimari, Stephen D. (2017-10-23). "The dipteran family Celyphidae in the New World, with discussion of and key to world genera (Insecta, Diptera)". ZooKeys (711): 113–130. doi:10.3897/zookeys.711.20840. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5674188. PMID 29134031.
Frey, R. (1941). "Die Gattungen und Arten der Dipteren familie Celyphidae". Notul. Entomol. 21: 3–16. 1 pl.
Chen, S. H. (1949). "Records of Chinese Diopsidae and Celyphidae (Diptera)". Sinensia. 10 (1–6): 1–6.

Hendel, F. . H. (1914). "Sauter's Formosa-Ausbeute. Acalyptrate Musciden (Dipt.) III". Supplementa Entomologica. 3: 90–117.