Family TERATOMYZIDAE Hennig, 1969

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Introduction

Teratomyzidae are a very small family of flies, known from the Australasian, Oriental, Neotropical and Palaearctic Regions. Few studies have been dedicated to this group. Of the nine recognised genera, five occur in Australia.

Colless and McAlpine (1970) separated the family from Anthomyzidae. McAlpine and de Keyzer (1994) is the only significant study of the Australian fauna, describing four of the five known genera, each with a single species.

Shuter and McAlpine (1985) reared specimens of a fifth genus Teratoptera from bracken fern Pteridium sp. near Sydney. A genus level entry has been included in this catalogue, as there are currently no described Australian species for Teratoptera. The biology of one Australian species, Auster pteridii, is recorded in McAlpine and de Keyzer (1994).

General References

Colless, D.H. & McAlpine, D.K. 1970. Diptera (flies). pp. 656-740 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Carlton : Melbourne University Press xiv 1029 pp.

McAlpine, D.K. 1998. 3.30. Family Teratomyzidae. pp. 331-334 in Papp, L. & Darvas, B. (eds). Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Vol. 3, Higher Brachycera. Budapest : Science Herald 880 pp.

McAlpine, D.K. & de Keyzer, R.G. 1994. Generic classification of the fern flies (Dipera: Teratomyzidae) with a larval description. Systematic Entomology 19(4): 305-326 [Date published October]

Papp, L. 2011. Oriental Teratomyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora). Zootaxa 2916: 1-34 [Date published 14 June]

Shuter, E. & McAlpine, D.K. 1985. First larvae of Teratomyzidae (Diptera). News Bulletin. Australian Entomological Society 21: 26 [Date published February]

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