Family STRATIOMYIDAE Latreille, 1802

Mating stratiomyids, winged males, wingless female

© Copyright M. Fagg, Canberra, ACT

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Introduction

This moderately large, cosmopolitan family is represented in Australia 32 genera and 111 species, distributed throughout eight subfamilies. Commonly known as soldier flies, the Stratiomyidae are morphologically diverse and occupy a wide range of habitats (Evenhuis 1989; Woodley 2001). Adults can be collected using malaise traps or by sweeping, and can be encountered on vegetation, at flowers or on rotting vegetable material (James 1980, 1981).

Larval biology varies throughout the family. Larvae of the Stratiomyinae are aquatic, while larvae of the other subfamilies may be variously found in the soil, decaying vegetable matter, compost, under bark or in animal dung.

The excellent world catalogue of the Stratiomyidae by Woodley (2001) is essential for any researcher of the family. More recently, Lessard and Woodley completed a series of subfamily- and generic-level revisions of the Australian fauna which include keys and modern species descriptions.

Two Australian species are currently recognised as endangered under the The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Antissella purprasina Lessard & Woodley, 2021 and Opaluma opulens Lessard & Woodley, 2020 from the subfamily Antissinae.

General References

Evenhuis, N.L. (ed.) 1989. Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. Honolulu and Leiden : Bishop Museum Press and E.J. Brill 1155 pp.

James, M.T. 1980. Family Stratiomyidae. pp. 253-274 in Crosskey, R.W. (ed.). Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. London : British Museum 1437 pp.

James, M.T. 1981. Stratiomyidae. pp. 497-511 in McAlpine, J.F., Peterson, B.V., Shewell, G.E., Teskey, H.J., Vockeroth, J.R. & Wood, D.M. (coordinators) (eds). Manual of Nearctic Diptera. Ottawa : Research Branch, Agriculture Canada. Monograph 27 Vol. 1 674 pp.

Lessard, B.D., Yeates, D.K., and Woodley, N.E. 2020. Opaluma Lessard & Woodley, gen. nov: a new genus of iridescent soldier flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) from Australia, including seven new species. Austral Entomology 59: 467-486

Lessard, B.D., Yeates, D.K. & Woodley, N.E. 2020. Review of Australian Sarginae Soldier Fly Genera (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), with First Records of Cephalochrysa, Formosargus and Microchrysa. Records of the Australian Museum 72(2): 23-43

Lessard, B.D., Yeates, D.K. & Woodley, N.E. 2021. Revision of the Australian soldier fly genus Antissella White, 1914, including six new species (Stratiomyidae: Antissinae). Insect Systematics and Evolution

Lessard, B.D. & Woodley, N.E. in Lessard, B.D., Yeates, D.K. & Woodley, N.E. 2018. Revision of the Hermetiinae of Australia (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). Austral Entomology [Date published 13 April 2018]

Lessard & Woodley in Lessard, B.D., Yeates, D.K., & Woodley, N.E. 2020. Generic revision of the Chiromyzinae soldier flies of Australia (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), including the first record of Boreoides Hardy, 1920, from New Zealand. Austral Entomology 59: 302-322

Woodley, N.E. 2001. A World Catalog of the Stratiomyidae (Insecta: Diptera). Washington and Leiden : North American Dipterists Society and Backhuys 473 pp.

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