Ulidiidae

Physiphora aenea, copyright Dr Yeshwanth.

Belongs within: Tephritoidea.
Contains: Lipsanini, Pterocallini.

The Ulidiidae, picture-winged flies, are a group of medium-sized flies with usually contrastingly patterned wings and mostly saprophagous larvae (Kameneva & Korneyev 2010). Members of the subfamily Otitinae are characterised by an aedeagus that is bristly or hairy or has teeth or blades on the stem, with a more or less simple tip. Males of Ulidiinae have a bare aedeagus, sometimes with a specialised end structure (Steyskal 1987).

Characters (from Kameneva & Korneyev 2010): Medium-sized (body length 2–14 mm, most commonly 4–7 mm), usually with moderately elongate body. Coloration yellow to brown or black with pattern of microtrichose spots or bands, often with metallic blue or green sheen. Inner and outer vertical, ocellar, divergent postocellar and orbital (one or two, anterior one shortest) setae present; frontal setae usually absent. Frons sometimes pitted or wrinkled. Clypeus moderately large. Proboscis with moderately developed prementum. Thorax usually longer than broad. Wings with pattern of dark spots or bands, rarely completely hyaline; Sc vein complete, C with distinct humeral break, subcostal break indistinct. Legs moderately developed, usually without rows of spines or strong setae; tibiae without dorsal setulae or setae. Females with telescopic ovipositor; males with long phallus, hidden in membranous pocket on ventral side of abdomen and bearing no glans at apex.

<==Ulidiidae [Otitidae, Pterocallidae] KK10
    |--Ortalinae K01
    |    |--Anacampta hyalinata K01
    |    |--Ortalis K01
    |    |    |--O. astrolabei Boisduval 1835 B35
    |    |    `--O. formosa K01
    |    `--Ceroxys M90
    |         |--C. latiusculus S87
    |         `--C. picta K01
    |--Ulidiinae KK10
    |    |  i. s.: Pseudeuxesta prima O98
    |    |--Lipsanini KK10
    |    |--Pterocallini KK10
    |    |--Physiphora KK10 [incl. Chrysomyza RD77; Ulidiini KK10]
    |    |    |--P. aenea S87
    |    |    |--P. clausa KK10
    |    |    `--P. demandata S87
    |    `--Seiopterini KK10
    |         |--Seioptera vibrans S87, T90
    |         |--Pseudoseioptera KK10
    |         `--Homalocephala similis KK10, S87
    `--Otitinae KK10
         |  i. s.: Curranops S87
         |         Tujunga S87
         |         Ulidiotites S87
         |         Herina O98
         |           |--H. canadensis S87
         |           `--H. palustris WT11
         |--Otitini KK10
         |    |--Idana marginata KK10, S87
         |    |--Tetanops (Eurycephalomyia) myopaeformis KK10
         |    |--Diacrita costalis KK10
         |    `--Otites S87
         |--Cephaliini KK10
         |    |--Delphinia picta KK10
         |    |--Tritoxa flexa KK10, S87
         |    |--Pterotaenia fasciata KK10
         |    `--Proteseia steyskali KK10
         `--Myennidini KK10
              |--Myennis octopunctata KK10, RD77
              |--Dyscrasis hendeli KK10
              |--Neodyscrasis steyskali KK10
              |--Pseudodyscrasis scutellaris KK10
              `--Pseudotephritis KK10
                   |--P. corticalis S87
                   `--P. cribellum M90

Ulidiidae incertae sedis:
  Melieria S87
    |--M. calligrapha GE05
    `--M. omissa WT11
  Myrmecothea myrmecoides S87
  Stictomyia longicornis KK10, S87
  Callopistromyia KK10
  Oedopa capito S87
  Cephalia S87
  Myiomyrmica fenestrata S87
  Psaeropterella S87
  Pseudotephritina cribellum S87
  Hiatus fulvipes S87
  Haigia nevadana S87
  Texasa chaetifrons S87
  Paroedopa punctigera S87
  Tetropismenus hirtus S87
  Polistomima stigma R78

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B35] Boisduval, J. B. 1835. Voyage de Découvertes de l’Astrolabe. Exécuté par ordre du Roi, pendant les années 1826–1827–1828–1829, sous le commandement de M. J. Dumont d'Urville. Faune entomologique de l'océan Pacifique, avec l'illustration des insectes nouveaux recueillis pendant le voyage vol. 2. Coléoptères et autres ordres. J. Tastu: Paris.

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[KK10] Kameneva, E. P., & V. A. Korneyev. 2010. Ulidiidae (picture-winged 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. 881–902. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[K01] Kertész, K. 1901. Legyek [Dipteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 179–201. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[M90] McAlpine, J. F. 1990. Insecta: Diptera adults. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 1211–1252. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

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

[R78] Richards, O. W. 1978. The Australian social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Australian Journal of Zoology, Supplementary Series 61: 1–132.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms' General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[S87] Steyskal, G. C. 1987. Otitidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 799–808. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

[T90] Teskey, H. J. 1990. Insecta: Diptera larvae. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 1253–1276. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

[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.

Last updated: 2 July 2021.