Ropalomeridae

Ropalomera sp., copyright Ecographica.

Belongs within: Schizophora.

The Ropalomeridae are a group of robust-bodied flies found only in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas (Ibáñez-Bernal & Hernández-Ortiz 2010).

Characters (from Ibáñez-Bernal & Hernández-Ortiz 2010): Medium to large robust flies (body length 6–12 mm) with body generally grey or dark brown. Vertex commonly sunken; gena high; face with median ridge or rounded protuberance; antenna with first flagellomere ovoid or elongate, arista subbasal, bare, with short flattened hairs or plumose; vibrissae absent. Scutum with tomentum pattern of longitudinal stripes; scutellum frequently grooved; greater ampulla present. Wings mostly hyaline to brownish or spotted; R₁ bare; R₄₊₅ and M strongly convergent towards wing margin; dm-cu curved sharply forward in line with M. Femora swollen, particularly on hind leg; hind tibia often laterally flattened and broadened. Female terminalia with tergite and sternite 7 partially fused, ending conically; ovipositor soft and short with small setulae; two globose sclerotised spermathecae. Male terminalia with epandrium curved ventrally; cerci basally to completely fused; surstyli spatulate; postgonite with one to three lobes; phallus short, membranous with spurlike epiphallus at posterior base.

<==Ropalomeridae [Rhopalomeridae]
    |--Rhytidops floridensis I-BH-O10
    |--Apophorhynchus I-BH-O10
    |--Dactylissa I-BH-O10
    |--Mexicoa mexicana I-BH-O10
    |--Willistoniella Meigen 1903 I-BH-O10, H02
    |    `--W. pleuropunctata I-BH-O10
    |--Lenkokroeberia I-BH-O10
    |    |--L. chryserea I-BH-O10
    |    `--L. ciliata I-BH-O10
    |--Kroeberia I-BH-O10
    |    |--K. fuliginosa I-BH-O10
    |    `--K. minor I-BH-O10
    `--Ropalomera I-BH-O10
         |--R. clavipes I-BH-O10
         |--R. femorata I-BH-O10
         |--R. latiforceps Ramírez-García & Hernández-Ortiz 1994 I-BH-O10
         `--R. stictica I-BH-O10

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[H02] Hong Y. 2002. Amber Insect of China. Beijing Scientific and Technological Publishing House.

[I-BH-O10] Ibáñez-Bernal, S., & V. Hernández-Ortiz. 2010. Ropalomeridae (ropalomerid 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. 1025–1030. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.