Rhagionidae

Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small family of flies. They get their name from the similarity of their often prominent proboscis that looks like the beak of a snipe.^[3]

Rhagionidae Temporal range: Anisian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Rhagio scolopaceus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Brachycera
Infraorder:	Tabanomorpha
Superfamily:	Rhagionoidea
Family:	Rhagionidae Latreille, 1802[1]
Synonyms
Leptidae Burmeister, 1837[2]

Description

Rhagionidae are medium-sized to large flies with slender bodies and stilt-like legs. The mouthparts are adapted for piercing and many species are haematophagous as adults, while others are predatory on other insects. They are typically brown and yellow flies, and lack bristles. The larvae are also predatory and are mostly terrestrial, although some are aquatic.^[4]

Snipe flies in the genus Rhagio are sometimes called "down-looker" flies after their habit of perching head-downward on tree trunks.

Classification

Rhagio mystaceus
"down-looker fly"

Chrysopilus thoracicus mating - Female(top) and Male(bottom)

The family is contained in Brachycera infraorder Tabanomorpha, and several of its constituent groups have been recently elevated to family rank. Atherix (and related genera) now comprise the Athericidae, Vermileo (and related genera) now comprise the Vermileonidae, and the genera Austroleptis and Bolbomyia are each now the sole members of their own families (Austroleptidae and Bolbomyiidae).^[5]

Rhagio scolopaceus
exhibiting its "down-looker" behaviour

List of subfamilies and genera

Arthrocerinae Williston, 1886^[6]

• Arthroceras Williston, 1886^[6] - Nearctic, Palearctic

Chrysopilinae Bezzi, 1903^[7]

• Chrysopilus Macquart, 1826^[8] - Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropic, Neotropic, Oriental
• Schizella Bezzi, 1926^[9] - Philippines
• Stylospania Frey, 1954^[10] - Philippines

Rhagioninae Latreille, 1802^[1]

• Arthroteles Bezzi, 1926^[11] - Afrotropic
• Atherimorpha White, 1914^[12] - Australasia, Neotropic, Afrotropic
• Desmomyia Brunetti, 1912^[13] - Palearctic, Oriental
• Rhagio Fabricius, 1775^[14] - Nearctic, Palearctic
• Sierramyia Kerr, 2010 ^[5] - Nearctic/Neotropic

Spaniinae Frey, 1954^[10]

• Litoleptis Chillcott, 1963^[15] - Nearctic, Oriental, Neotropic
• Omphalophora Becker, 1900^[16] - Palearctic, Nearctic
• †Palaeoarthroteles Kovalev & Mostovski, 1997^[17]
• Ptiolina Staeger in Zetterstedt, 1842^[18] - Nearctic, Palearctic
• Spania Meigen, 1830^[19] - Nearctic, Palearctic
• Spaniopsis White, 1914^[12] - Australasia
• Symphoromyia Frauenfeld, 1867^[20] - Nearctic, Palearctic

Incertae sedis

• Alloleptis Nagatomi & Saigusa in Nagatomi, 1982^[21] - Sulawesi

See also

• Use of DNA in forensic entomology

Further reading

• Bezzi, M. 1928. Diptera Brachycera and Athericera of the Fiji Islands based on material in the British Museum (Natural History). British Museum (Natural History), London. viii + 220 pp.
• Lindner, E 1924–1925. Rhagionidae in Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region 4 (20) 1–49. ISBN 3-510-43016-6 Keys to genera and species.
• Stuckenberg, B., 1960. Diptera (Brachycera): Rhagionidae. S.Afr. anim. Life 7: 216–308 Keys to genera and species.
• Stuckenberg, B., 1965. The Rhagionidae of Madagascar (Diptera). Ann.Natal Mus. 18:89–170. Keys to genera and species.
• Leonard, M. D., 1930. A revision of the Dipterous family Rhagionidae (Leptidae) in the United States and Canada, Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 7:1–181.^[22]
• Malloch, J. R., 1932. Rhagionidae, Therevidae. British Museum (Natural History). Dept. of Entomology [eds] Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile, based mainly on material in the British Museum (Natural History). Part V. Fascicle 3. - Rhagionidae (Leptidae), Therevidae, Scenopinidae, Mydaidae, Asilidae, Lonchopteridae. pp. 199–293.
• Nagatomi, A. & Soroida, K., 1985. The structure of the mouthparts of the orthorrhaphous Brachycera (Diptera) with special reference to blood-sucking. Beitr. Ent. 35 (2): 263–368, 480.