Miltogramminae

Amobia signata, copyright Jeremy R.

Belongs within: Oestroidea.
Contains: Metopiini, Miltogrammatini.

The Miltogramminae are a group of flies whose larvae mostly develop in the brood cells of burrowing Hymenoptera, feeding on the host's stored food reserves and/or the host larva itself. Females may trail wasps carrying prey to the nest (if large enough, the female miltogrammine may ride on the prey insect itself) or they may deposit larvae directly into the nest entrance. Species in the genus Eumacronychia are exceptional in developing as scavengers or predators of reptile eggs. The distinctive genus Macronychia is characterised by short antennae with stout setae on the pedicel, and swelling of the upper part of the proepisternum (Pape & Dahlem 2010).

Characters (from Pape & Dahlem 2010): Head profile with flat or slightly concave occipital region; antennal arista not plumose; eyes distinctly or moderately enlarged; postocular setae not alternating, about equal in size; notopleuron without subprimary brisltes; metasternal area bare; hind coxa bare posteriorly; coxopleural streak present; male midfemur without apical posteroventral ctenidium; male abdominal sternites 2–4 partly hidden by overlapping margins of corresponding tergites, terminalia not or only slightly protruding.

<==Miltogramminae
    |--+--Chorezmomyiini F92
    |  `--Metopiini F92
    `--+--Miltogrammatini F92
       `--+--Amobia Robineau-Desvoidy 1830 [incl. Pachyphthalmus Brauer & Bergenstamm 1889; Amobiini] F92
          |    |--*A. signata (Meigen 1824) [=Tachina signata] F92
          |    |--A. aurifrons BM76
          |    |--A. distorta (Allén 1926) [=Pachyophthalmus distortus] F92
          |    `--A. floridensis PD10
          `--Phyllotelini [Phyllotelina] F92
               |--Synorbitomyia Townsend 1932 F92
               |    `--*S. linearis (Villeneuve 1929) [=Hoplocephala linearis] F92
               `--Phylloteles Loew 1844 F92
                    |--*P. pictipennis Loew 1844 F92
                    `--P. stackelbergi Rohdendorf 1975 F92

Miltogramminae incertae sedis:
  Pachygraphomyia spinosa BM76
  Eumacronychia [Eumacronychiini] PD10
    |--E. polita [=Gymnoprosopa polita] PD10
    `--E. sternalis PD10
  Macronychia Rondani 1859 PD10, F92 [Macronychiinae, Macronychiini]
    |--M. striginervis (Zetterstedt 1844) (see below for synonymy) F92
    |--M. aurata PD10
    |--M. griseola (Rondani 1859) [=Tachina griseola] F92
    `--M. polyodon (Meigen 1824) F92
  Opsidia PD10
    |--O. diademata PD10
    |--O. gonioides PD10
    `--O. metopioides PD10
  Euphytomima nomiivora S87
  Euphyto S87
  Eusenotainia rufiventris S87
  Gymnopsidia inflaticornis S87
  Opsidiotrophus micidus S87
  Opsidiopsis oblata S87
  Anicia campestris S87
  Aenigmetopia MD13
  Craticulina O98
  Hoplacephala O98

Macronychia striginervis (Zetterstedt 1844) [=Xysta striginervis; incl. *Macronychia agrestis Rondani 1859, Miltogramma ungulans Pandelle 1895, Ma. ungulans] F92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BM76] Bohart, R. M., & A. S. Menke. 1976. Sphecid Wasps of the World. University of California Press: Berkeley.

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

[MD13] Meiklejohn, K. A., M. Dowton, T. Pape & J. F. Wallman. 2013. A key to the Australian Sarcophagidae (Diptera) with special emphasis on Sarcophaga (sensu lato). Zootaxa 3680 (1): 148–189.

[O98] Oosterbroek, P. 1998. The Families of Diptera of the Malay Archipelago. Brill: Leiden.

[PD10] Pape, T., & G. A. Dahlem. 2010. Sarcophagidae (flesh 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. 1313–1335. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[S87] Shewell, G. E. 1987. Sarcophagidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1159–1186. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

Last updated: 5 July 2021.