Tachininae

Linnaemya vulpina, copyright Janet Graham.

Belongs within: Tachinidae.
Contains: Minthoini, Siphonini, Tachinini, Polideini, Nemoraeini.

The Tachininae are a group of parasitic flies that is poorly defined morphologically but strongly supported by molecular analysis. Members utilise a wide range of hosts with phylogenetic analysis suggesting an ancestral dependence on Lepidoptera (Stireman et al. 2019). Females possess a uterus and deposit eggs ready to hatch; the majority of species do not oviposit directly on the host itself but scatter eggs in suitable habitats with the larvae then waiting to encounter a suitable host. Members of the genus Ormia that parasitise orthopterans locate singing males by means of tympanic organs on the enlarged prosternum and fire eggs in the direction of the sound (Wood & Zumbado 2010). Male terminalia of Tachininae usually have the surstyli widely separated and syntergosternite 7+8 is often large and bulbous (Wood 1987).

<==Tachininae [Ernestiini]
    |--+--+--Ginglymia SC19
    |  |  |    |--G. acrirostris WZ10
    |  |  |    `--G. johnsoni SC19
    |  |  `--+--Graphogastrini SC19
    |  |     |    |--Graphogaster SC19
    |  |     |    |    |--G. brunnea W87
    |  |     |    |    |--G. dorsalis W87
    |  |     |    |    `--G. vestita SC19
    |  |     |    `--Phytomyptera SC19
    |  |     |         |--P. aenea SC19
    |  |     |         `--P. tarsalis WZ10
    |  |     `--Eulasiona SC19
    |  |          |--E. aperta SC19
    |  |          `--E. comstocki WZ10
    |  `--Minthoini SC19
    `--+--Siphonini SC19
       `--+--Pelatachina [Pelatachinini] SC19
          |    |--P. pellucida W87
          |    `--P. tibialis SC19
          `--+--Tachinini SC19
             `--+--+--Neaerini SC19
                |  |    |--Scomma gobica C94
                |  |    `--Neaera WZ10
                |  |         |--N. atra SC19
                |  |         |--N. leucoptera WZ10
                |  |         `--N. mirabilis [=Acronarista mirabilis] W87
                |  `--+--Germaria [Germariini] SC19
                |     |    |--G. angustata SC19
                |     |    `--G. hispanica SC19
                |     `--Megaprosopini SC19
                |          |--Dexiosoma SC19
                |          `--+--+--Trichoprosopus SC19
                |             |  `--Acronacantha nubilipennis SC19, WZ10
                |             `--+--Microphthalma SC19
                |                |    |--M. disjuncta W87
                |                |    `--M. obsoleta SC19
                |                `--Megaprosopus regalis SC19
                `--+--Proscissionini SC19
                   |    |--+--Proscissio SC19
                   |    |  `--Perrissina albiceps SC19
                   |    `--+--Campylia SC19
                   |       `--+--Zealandotachina SC19
                   |          `--Heteria SC19
                   `--+--+--Loewiini SC19
                      |  |    |--Loewia SC19
                      |  |    |    |--L. erecta SC19
                      |  |    |    `--L. foeda W87 [=Fortisia foeda A71]
                      |  |    `--+--Germariochaeta [Germariochaetini] SC19
                      |  |       `--Eloceria nigra SC19
                      |  `--+--+--Chaetophthalmus SC19
                      |     |  `--Linnaemya Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 SC19, F92 (see below for synonymy)
                      |     |      |--*L. vulpina (Fallén 1810) F92
                      |     |      |--L. comta Fallén 1810 (see below for synonymy) F92
                      |     |      |--L. tessellata WZ10
                      |     |      `--L. zachvatkini Zimin 1954 F92
                      |     `--+--+--Hyalurgus Brauer & Bergenstamm 1893 SC19, F92 (see below for synonymy)
                      |        |  |    |--*H. lucida (Meigen 1824) F92
                      |        |  |    |--H. crucigera Zetterstedt 1838 HP-W05
                      |        |  |    `--H. sima Zimin 1960 [incl. H. spathulatus Mesnil 1967] F92
                      |        |  `--Panzeria SC19 [incl. Ernestia W87]
                      |        |       |--P. ampelus WZ10
                      |        |       `--P. johnsoni SC19
                      |        `--Polideini SC19
                      `--+--Nemoraeini SC19
                         `--+--+--Gymnocheta SC19
                            |  |    |--G. ruficornis SC19
                            |  |    `--G. viridis (Fallén 1810) KP10
                            |  `--+--Chrysosomopsis aurata SC19
                            |     `--+--+--Zophomyia temula SC19
                            |        |  `--Melanophrys SC19
                            |        |       |--M. flavipennis W87
                            |        |       `--M. insolita [=Atropharista insolita] W87
                            |        `--Bombyliomyia soror SC19, WZ10
                            `--+--Chlorotachina SC19
                               |    |--C. flaviceps SC19
                               |    `--C. froggattii SC19
                               `--+--+--Triarthria SC19
                                  |  |    |--T. parva SC19
                                  |  |    |--T. setipennis (Fallén 1810) KP10
                                  |  |    `--T. spinipennis W87
                                  |  `--+--Ormia [Ormiini] SC19
                                  |     |    |--O. depleta WZ10
                                  |     |    `--O. dominicana WZ10
                                  |     `--Brachelia westermanni SC19
                                  `--Glaurocarini SC19
                                       |--Glaurocara flava SC19
                                       `--Semisuturia SC19
                                            |--S. moffattensis SC19
                                            `--S. pallens SC19

Tachininae incertae sedis:
  Somoleja rebaptisata K01
  Ptilops chalybeata K01
  Plagiopsis soror K01
  Myiobia fenestrata K01
  Olivieria lateralis K01
  Plagia K01
    |--P. curvinervis K01
    `--P. trepida RD77
  Paralophora pusilla K01
  Syntomocera cristata K01
  Myiocera carinifrons K01
  Echinomyia A71
    |--E. algira Macquart 1847 E12
    |--E. fera A71
    `--E. grossa (Linnaeus 1758) G20, L58 [=Musca grossa G20]

Hyalurgus Brauer & Bergenstamm 1893 SC19, F92 [incl. Microerigone Zimin 1960 F92, Parastauferia Pokorny 1893 F92]

Linnaemya Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 SC19, F92 [incl. Bonnetia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 F92, Micropalpus Macquart 1834 F92; Linnaemyini]

Linnaemya comta Fallén 1810 [incl. Micropalpus humeralis Robineau-Desvoidy 1863, Bonnetia longipes Robineau-Desvoidy 1830, B. oenanthis Robineau-Desvoidy 1830] F92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A71] Askew, R. R. 1971. Parasitic Insects. Heinemann Educational Books: London.

[C94] Colless, D. H. 1994. A new family of muscoid Diptera from Australasia, with sixteen new species in four new genera (Diptera: Axiniidae). Invertebrate Taxonomy 8: 471–534.

[E12] Evenhuis, N. L. 2012. Publication and dating of the Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie: Histoire Naturelle des Animaux Articulés (1846–1849) by Pierre Hippolyte Lucas. Zootaxa 3448: 1–61.

[F92] Fan Z. 1992. Key to the Common Flies of China 2^nd ed. Science Press: Beijing.

[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.

[HP-W05] Heitland, W., & H. Pschorn-Walcher. 2005. Biology and parasitoids of the peculiar alder sawfly, Platycampus luridiventris (Fallen) (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 85 (2): 215–231.

[K01] Kertész, K. 1901. Legyek [Dipteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 179–201. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[KP10] Kutty, S. N., T. Pape, B. M. Wiegmann & R. Meier. 2010. Molecular phylogeny of the Calyptratae (Diptera: Cyclorrhapha) with an emphasis on the superfamily Oestroidea and the position of Mystacinobiidae and McAlpine's fly. Systematic Entomology 35: 614–635.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[SC19] Stireman, J. O., III, P. Cerretti, J. E. O'Hara, J. D. Blaschke & J. K. Moulton. 2019. Molecular phylogeny and evolution of world Tachinidae (Diptera). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 139: 106358.

[W87] Wood, D. M. 1987. Tachinidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1193–1269. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

[WZ10] Wood, D. M., & M. A. Zumbado. 2010. Tachinidae (tachinid flies, parasitic flies). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1343–1417. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

Last updated: 3 July 2021.