Family HETEROMYZIDAE Fallén, 1820

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

The family Heteromyzidae as treated here comprises the family previously known as Heleomyzidae, as well as a number of families that have been sometimes regarded as synonyms of the Heleomyzidae, namely the Rhinotoridae, Trixoscelididae, and the Cnemospathididae. This classification is based on McAlpine (2007), whereby family Heleomyzidae is treated as a junior subjective synonym of Heteromyzidae. However, in his 2007 publication, McAlpine also included the family Sphaeroceridae as subfamily Sphaerocerinae within Heteromyzidae. As Sphaeroceridae is still recognised as a family by most specialists on this group, it has been conservatively retained as a family in this publication. However, McAlpine's positioning of the Sphaerocerinae is duly noted for future reference.

The family Heteromyzidae includes more than 500 species described worldwide. So far in Australia, 72 species are described in 17 genera. Important reference works dealing with the Australian fauna for this group are those of McAlpine (1967, 1968, 1985, 2007) and McAlpine and Kent (1982).

Biology
The biology of the Australian Heteromyzidae is poorly known. Species in the tribe Borboroidini are attracted to rotting carcasses, e.g. dead chicken and the faeces of native wombats [Vombatidae]. Some species have been reared from fungus, and the larvae of Cairnsimyia species have been found in borer tunnels within tree trunks.

General References

Evenhuis, N. (Originally by Pitkin, B.R.) 23 June 2007. Family Heleomyzidae. Evenhuis, N.L. (ed.) Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/heleomyzidae.html

McAlpine, D.K. 1967. The Australian species of Diplogeomyza and allied genera (Diptera, Heleomyzidae). Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 92: 74-106 [Date published 11 September]

McAlpine, D.K. 1968. The genus Cairnsimyia Malloch (Diptera, Heleomyzidae, Rhinotorini). Records of the Australian Museum 27: 263-283 [Date published 29 July]

McAlpine, D.K. 1985. The Australian genera of Heleomyzidae (Diptera: Schizophora) and a reclassification of the family into tribes. Records of the Australian Museum 36: 203-251 [Date published 11 June]

McAlpine, D.K. 2007. Review of the Borboroidini or wombat flies (Diptera: Heteromyzidae), with reconsideration of the status of families Heleomyzidae and Sphaeroceridae, and descriptions of femoral gland-baskets. Records of the Australian Museum 59(2-3): 143-219 [Date published 29 August]

McAlpine, D.K. & Kent, D.S. 1982. Systematics of Tapeigaster (Diptera: Heleomyzidae) with notes on biology and larval morphology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 106: 33-58 [Date published 27 October 1982]

History of changes