Clusiidae

Sobarocephala flaviseta, copyright Katja Schulz.

Belongs within: Schizophora.

The Clusiidae are a group of relatively slender flies that are commonly associated with humid habitats. They are characterised by the possession of a porrect antenna with a dorsoapical arista and triangular extensions on the outer and sometimes inner distal margins of the pedicel. In most members of the subfamily Clusiodinae, the anterior pair of fronto-orbital bristles is reclinate whereas members of other subfamilies, and of the clusiodine genus Heteromeringia, have these bristles inclinate (Lonsdale & Marshall 2010).

Characters (from Lonsdale & Marshall 2010): Relatively elongate flies. Colour various but usually all or partly yellow with wing frequently infuscated. Arista pubescent to densely plumose; vibrissa well developed; face usually soft, receding. Outer and sometimes inner distal margins of pedicel with triangular extensions, outer extension distinct and acute in Clusiinae and Sobarocephalinae, blunt and obtuse in Clusiodinae. Ocellar and/or postocellar bristles usually small to absent, divergent when present. Subcosta complete and subcostal break present (sometimes indistinct in Clusiodinae).

<==Clusiidae [Clusiodidae, Heteroneuridae]
    |--Clusiinae LM10
    |    |--Clusia lateralis LM10, S87
    |    |--Phylloclusia LM10
    |    |--Tetrameringia ustulata LM10, O98
    |    |--Melanoclusia LM10
    |    `--Apiochaeta LM10
    |         |--A. bicolor LM10
    |         `--A. connexa LM10
    |--Sobarocephalinae LM10
    |    |--Chaetoclusia bakeri LM10
    |    |--Procerosoma alini LM10
    |    `--Sobarocephala LM10
    |         |--S. beckeri Hennig 1956 S63b
    |         |--S. boliviana Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. columbiensis Soós 1962 S63b
    |         |--S. dudichi Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. festiva Czerny 1929 S63b
    |         |--S. flava LM10
    |         |--S. flaviseta LM10
    |         |--S. fumipennis Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. lanei Curran 1939 S63b
    |         |--S. latifrons LM10
    |         |--S. nigrofacies Soós 1962 S63b
    |         |--S. nitida Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. picta Hennig 1938 S63b
    |         |--S. pictipennis (Kertész 1903) [=Monorrhexa pictipennis] S63b
    |         |--S. plumata Melander & Argo 1925 S63b
    |         |--S. pruinosa Soós 1962 S63b
    |         |--S. quadrimaculata Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. sabroskyi Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. strigata Hennig 1938 S63b
    |         |--S. styskali Soós 1963 S63b
    |         |--S. testacea [incl. Chaetoclusia affinis] S87
    |         |--S. variegata Melander & Argo 1925 S63b
    |         `--S. zeugma Hennig 1938 S63b
    `--Clusiodinae LM10
         |--Craspedochaeta concinna LM10
         |--Clusiodes LM10
         |    |--C. albimanus LM10
         |    `--C. johnsoni LM10
         |--Hendelia LM10
         |    |--*H. beckeri Czerny 1903 LM10, S63a [incl. H. nigripalpis Czerny 1928 S63a]
         |    |--H. kinetrolicros LM10
         |    `--H. mirabilis [=Clusiodes mirabilis] LM10
         |--Heteromeringia [incl. Tranomeringia] LM10
         |    |--H. czernyi LM10
         |    |--H. fumipennis LM10
         |    |--H. nitida LM10
         |    `--H. norrisi CM91
         `--Allometopon LM10

Clusiidae incertae sedis:
  Electroclusiodes LM10
    |--E. meunieri S87
    `--E. radiospinosa S87
  Trichoclusia M87
  Chaetoclusiella M87
  Prohendelia Frey 1960 S63a
    |--P. (Prohendelia) S63a
    |    |--*P. (P.) orientalis Frey 1960 S63a
    |    `--P. (P.) freyi Soós 1963 S63a
    `--P. (Aristohendelia) orientalis S63a
  Parahendelia McAlpine 1960 S63a
    `--*P. latifrons McAlpine 1960 S63a

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[LM10] Lonsdale, O., & S. A. Marshall. 2010. Clusiidae (clusiid 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. 1041–1048. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[M87] McAlpine, J. F. 1987. Acartophthalmidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 859–861. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

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

[S63a] Soós, Á. 1963a. Prohendelia (Prohendelia) freyi spec. nov., and some notes on the genus Hendelia Czerny s. l. (Diptera: Clusiidae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 9 (1–2): 177–182.

[S63b] Soós, Á. 1963b. Identification key to the species of the "plumata-group" of the genus Sobarocephala Czerny (Diptera: Clusiidae). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 9 (3–4): 391–396.

[S87] Soós, Á. 1987. Clusiidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 853–857. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

Last updated: 29 June 2021.