Discomyzinae

Psilopa polita, copyright Christophe Quintin.

Belongs within: Ephydroidea.

The Discomyzinae are a group of shore flies with pectinate aristae and large prescutellar acrostichal bristles. They are divided between the Psilopini, in which the face is generally smooth and vein R₄₊₅ is dorsally bare, and Discomyzini, in which the face may be coarsely sculpted and vein R₄₊₅ generally bear two to four setulae dorsally near the base (Mathis 2010).

Characters (from Mathis 2010): Arista pectinate; reclinate fronto-orbital seta usually inserted behind larger proclinate fronto-orbital seta; median facial area and lower facial margin without setae; facial setae inserted in more or less vertical series, parallel with parafacial setae; prescutellar acrostichal setae large (subequal to posterior dorsocentral seta), inserted widely apart (distance between them subequal to that between either prescutellar and the posterior dorsocentral seta on the same side), usually in front of intra-alar seta.

<==Discomyzinae [Psilopinae] M10
    |  i. s.: Platygymnopa helicis WMV87
    |         Trimerinoides adfinis WMV87
    |         Trimerina madizans WMV87
    |         Pelignus salinus WMV87
    |         Nesopsilopa WMV87
    |         Diclasiopa lacteipennis WMV87
    |         Hecamedoides glaucellus WMV87
    |         Asmeringa lindsleyi WMV87
    |         Pelignellus subnudus WMV87
    |--Discomyzini M10
    |    |--Discomyza M10
    |    |--Clasiopella uncinata M10
    |    |--Mimapsilopa M10
    |    |    |--M. cressoni M10
    |    |    `--M. metatarsata M10
    |    |--Helaeomyia petrolei M10, WMV87
    |    |--Paratissa semilutea M10
    |    |--Guttipsilopa M10
    |    `--Rhysophora M10
    |         |--R. ardeoceras M10
    |         |--R. griseola M10
    |         `--R. robusta M10
    `--Psilopini M10
         |--Cressonomyia aciculata M10
         |--Peltopsilopa M10
         |--Ceropsilopa coquilletti M10
         |--Clanoneurum americanum M10, WMV87
         |--Leptopsilopa varipes M10
         `--Psilopa WT11
              |--P. flavida M10
              |--P. girschneri M10
              |--P. metallica M83
              |--P. petrolei WB37
              |--P. polita WT11
              `--P. pulchripes M10

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[M83] Martin, N. A. 1983. Miscellaneous observations on a pasture fauna: an annotated species list. DSIR Entomology Division Report 3: 1–98.

[M10] Mathis, W. N. 2010. Ephydridae (shore 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. 1211–1233. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[WB37] Walton, W. R., & F. C. Bishopp. 1937. Dr. L. O. Howard and the Entomological Society of Washington. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 39 (6): 121–132.

[WT11] Wiegmann, B. M., M. D. Trautwein, I. S. Winkler, N. B. Barr, J.-W. Kim, C. Lambkin, M. A. Bertone, B. K. Cassel, K. M. Bayless, A. M. Heimberg, B. M. Wheeler, K. J. Peterson, T. Pape, B. J. Sinclair, J. H. Skevington, V. Blagoderov, J. Caravas, S. N. Kutty, U. Schmidt-Ott, G. E. Kampmeier, F. C. Thompson, D. A. Grimaldi, A. T. Beckenbach, G. W. Courtney, M. Friedrich, R. Meier & D. K. Yeates. 2011. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 108 (14): 5690–5695.

[WMV87] Wirth, W. W., W. N. Mathis & J. R. Vockeroth. 1987. Ephydridae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1027–1047. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

Last updated: 10 July 2021.