Richardiidae

Richardia sp., copyright Andreas Kay.

Belongs within: Tephritoidea.

The Richardiidae are a group of flies, restricted to the New World, that mostly breed in decaying vegetable matter. They are divided between the subfamilies Epiplateinae, in which males have the phallus tip more or less simple and females have separate cerci on the ovipositor, and Richardiinae with an apically complex phallus and ovipositor cerci fused and adapted for piercing (Hancock 2010).

Characters (from Hancock 2010): Small to medium-sized (body length 3–15 mm). Head with single orbital seta. Stalk-eyes or genal extensions occasionally present. Frons may be considerably extended or swollen; occiput depressed above neck but occasionally enlarged behind eyes. Body colour yellow to brown or black, sometimes with darker or pruinose bands or stripes on scutum. Dorsum of thorax often setulose; thoracic chaetotaxy not extensive, presutural dorsocentrals absent. Scutellum with two or four marginal setae; if four then one pair basolateral. Postmesocoxal bridge often complete. Wings with one subcostal break, sometimes also with humeral break; cup closed apically by short sinuous or slightly convex vein. Wings frequently with apical spot, median band, basal and other markings. Legs often banded and usually bearing ventral femoral bristles on all or some legs. Two basal abdominal tergites fused, may be narrowed (pedunculate) or tapering basally more gradually. Usually strong preapical bristles present laterally on tergite 2. Occasionally with metallic blue or green abdomen contrasting with thorax. Male genitalia complex with long coiled phallus. Female with piercing-style ovipositor; two spermathecae present.

<==Richardiidae H10
    |--Epiplateinae H10
    |    |--Schnusimyia parvula H10
    |    |--Epiplatea H10
    |    |    |--E. erosa S87
    |    |    `--E. hondurana H10
    |    |--Omomyia H10
    |    |    |--O. hirsuta S87
    |    |    `--O. regularis S87
    |    `--Automola H10
    |         |--A. atomaria H10
    |         |--A. caloptera H10
    |         `--A. rufa H10
    `--Richardiinae H10
         |--Macrostenomyia guerinii H10
         |--Coniceps niger H10
         |--Oedematella czernyi H10
         |--Ozaenina H10
         |--Oceanicia H10
         |--Johnrichardia H10
         |--Antineuromyia H10
         |--Odontomerella H10
         |--Hemixantha flavicornis H10
         |--Setellida caerulescens H10
         |--Spheneuolena H10
         |--Euolena egregia H10
         |--Acompha H10
         |--Neoidiotypa appendiculata H10
         |--Panermya H10
         |--Megalothoraca H10
         |--Batrachophthalmum H10
         |--Poecilomyia longicornis H10
         |--Cladiscophleps H10
         |--Beebeomyia H10
         |--Maerorichardia H10
         |--Richardiodes H10
         |--Sepsisoma H10
         |    |--S. erythrocephalum H10
         |    `--S. flavescens H10
         |--Setellia H10
         |    |--S. apex H10
         |    |--S. costalis H10
         |    `--S. unispinosa H10
         |--Coilometopia H10
         |    |--C. costalis H10
         |    |--C. longicornis H10
         |    `--C. trimaculata H10
         |--Odontomera H10
         |    |--O. basistriga H10
         |    |--O. ferruginea H10
         |    |--O. fulvida [=Megamerina fulvida] MB10
         |    `--O. nitens H10
         |--Melanoloma H10
         |    |--M. affinis H10
         |    |--M. canospila H10
         |    |--M. decrepita H10
         |    `--M. viatrix H10
         `--Richardia H10
              |--R. eburneosignata H10
              |--R. teevani S87
              |    |--R. t. teevani S87
              |    `--R. t. annulipes S87
              `--R. telescopica H10

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[H10] Hancock, E. G. 2010. Richardiidae (richardiid 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. 871–879. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[MB10] Marshall, S. A., & M. Buck. 2010. Syringogastridae (syringogastrid 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. 843–846. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[S87] Steyskal, G. C. 1987. Richardiidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 833–837. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

Last updated: 2 July 2021.