Overview
Brief Summary
Platystomatidae (Signal flies)
Signal flies are very variable in external appearance, ranging from small (2.5 mm), slender species to large (20 mm), robust individuals, often with body colours having a distinctive metallic luster and with face and wings usually patterned with dark spots or bands.
Many bizarre forms of morphology occur in this family. Heads and legs (fore legs especially) may be oddly shaped, extended in various ways or with adornments, all of which serve to supplement agonistic behaviour. Such behaviour underlies social and sexual interaction between individuals of the same species of Signal flies.
Adults are frequently found on tree trunks and foliage and are attracted to flowers, decaying fruit, excrement, sweat, and decomposing snails. Larvae are found on fresh and in decaying vegetation, carrion, human corpses, and root nodules. Most larvae are either phytophagous (eating plant material) or saprophagous (eating decomposing organic matter). Some are predatory on other insects and others have been found in human lesions, while others are of minor agricultural significance.
The species of this family are frequently mixed with unsorted specimens of higher Tephritoidea: Tephritidae, Ulidiidae and Pyrgotidae - see the diagnosis for full details.
- McAlpine, D.K. 2001. Review of the Australian genera of Signal Flies (Diptera: Platystomatidae). Records of the Australian Museum. 53: 113-199.
- Steyskal, G.C. 1968. Family Platystomatidae. In N. Papavero (editor) A Catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. 55: 1-4.
- Whittington, A.E. 2003. Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Plastotephritinae (Diptera; Platystomatidae). Studia Dipterologica Supplement. 12: 1-300.
- Whittington, A.E. 2009. Family Platystomatidae. 303-313. In: Gerlach, J. (Ed) The Diptera of the Seychelles Islands. Pensoft Publishers, Moscow & Sofia. 431 pp.
- Whittington, A.E. 2010. 67. Platystomatidae (Signal flies). 903-907. In: Brown, B.V., Borkent, A., Cumming, J.M., Wood, D.M., Woodley, N.E. & Zumbado, M.A. (Eds) Manual of Central American Diptera. 2: 715-1442.
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Physical Description
Diagnostic Description
Platystomatidae (signal flies)
Head exhibits range of morphological variation, with either frons and face bulging forwards or gena swollen and extending backwards. Head higher than long; ocelli present; lower frontal setae absent, one or two reclinate orbital setae; inner and outer verticals present; genal seta present; vibrissa absent to rudimentary; postocellar setae weak, divergent. Pedicel with dorsal seam, first flagellomere elongate, sometimes with apical point; arista finely setose to pubescent. Proboscis stout, palpus flattened.
Thorax longer than broad; setae present (one pair of each, unless stated): postpronotal, 2 pairs notopleural; anepisternal; postsutural supra-alar; postalar; intra-alar; prescutellar acrostichal; prescutellar dorsocentral; basal (sometimes), lateral and apical scutellar.
Wing usually with pigmented pattern; humeral costa break present; R1 and R4+5 dorsally setulose for almost entire length; cup subrectangular at apex – CuA2 perpendicular to Cu at its base and either straight or convexly curved toward middle.
Legs moderately developed, sometimes with armature, especially on the forelegs when present.
Abdomen subcylindrical to narrow-ovate. Male postabdomen with sternite 6 reduced or absent; strongly sclerotized bilobed cap on ejaculatory apodeme; phallapodeme present; well developed inner surstyli. Female postabdomen with segment 6 reduced or absent; segment 7 present as conical oviscape, which forms rigid base to flattened ovipositor sheath protecting retractable (by invagination) segment 8 or aculeus, with apical sensory setae on either side. Larvae with generalized, subcylindrical schizophoran morphology, typical of many Tephritoidea.
Identification:
The species of this family are frequently mixed with unsorted specimens of higher Tephritoidea. The absence of frontal setae, the lack of any extension of the posterior apex of cup and the presence of setulae along the whole length of R1 (and frequently all of R4+5) distinguishes Platystomatidae from most Tephritidae, Ulidiidae and Pyrgotidae.
Furthermore, Tephritidae have between one and five frontal setae and a subcostal break.
In Ulidiidae, postocellar setae are better developed, katepisternal setae present, and the coiled aedeagus lacks a distinct apical glans.
Pyrgotidae often have a proepisternal ridge bearing strong setae (absent in all Platystomatidae) and lack ocelli.
- McAlpine, D.K. 2001. Review of the Australian genera of Signal Flies (Diptera: Platystomatidae). Records of the Australian Museum. 53: 113-199.
- Steyskal, G.C. 1968. Family Platystomatidae. In N. Papavero (editor) A Catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo. 55: 1-4.
- Whittington, A.E. 2003. Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Plastotephritinae (Diptera; Platystomatidae). Studia Dipterologica Supplement. 12: 1-300.
- Whittington, A.E. 2009. Family Platystomatidae. 303-313. In: Gerlach, J. (Ed) The Diptera of the Seychelles Islands. Pensoft Publishers, Moscow & Sofia. 431 pp.
- Whittington, A.E. 2010. 67. Platystomatidae (Signal flies). 903-907. In: Brown, B.V., Borkent, A., Cumming, J.M., Wood, D.M., Woodley, N.E. & Zumbado, M.A. (Eds) Manual of Central American Diptera. 2: 715-1442.
Supplier: Andrew Whittington
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Barcode
Locations of barcode samples
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Statistics of barcoding coverage
| Specimen Records: | 120 |
| Specimens with Sequences: | 88 |
| Specimens with Barcodes: | 85 |
| Public Records: | 0 |
| Species: | 15 |
| Species With Barcodes: | 12 |
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Barcode data
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Wikipedia
Platystomatidae
Platystomatidae (Signal flies) is a distinctive family of flies (Diptera). Signal flies are worldwide in distribution predominating in the tropics. It is one of the larger families of acalyptrate Diptera with around 1200 species in 119 genera.
Contents |
Biology
Adults are found on tree trunks and foliage and are attracted to flowers, decaying fruit, excrement, sweat, and decomposing snails. Larvae are found on fresh and in decaying vegetation, carrion, human corpses, and root nodules. Most larvae are either phytophagous (eating plant material) or saprophagous (eating decomposing organic matter). Some are predatory on other insects and others have been found in human lesions, while others are of minor agricultural significance.
Family Description
Signal flies are very variable in external appearance, ranging from small (2.5 mm), slender species to large (20 mm), robust individuals, often with body colours having a distinctive metallic lustre and with face and wings usually patterned with dark spots or bands.
Many bizarre forms of morphology occur in this family. Heads and legs (fore legs especially) may be oddly shaped, extended in various ways or with adornments, all of which serve to supplement agonistic behaviour. Such behaviour underlies social and sexual interaction between individuals of the same species of Signal flies, first researched in Australian species of the genera Euprosopia and Pogonortalis [1]
In males of Pogonortalis, the length and degree of development of hairs (setae) on the lower facial area, together with widening of the head, facilitates territorial dominance [2]by head-butting and rearing-up behaviours. Head-butting is taken to the extreme in the Australasian genus Achias [3] [4], in which species have the fronto-orbital plates expanded laterally to produce eyes stalks.
Development of body structures is prevalent in the Afrotropical and Oriental subfamily Plastotephritinae [5], including 9 different types of modification in 16 genera [6].
Development of eye-stalks in flies is also prevalent in the family Diopsidae, through lateral development of the frontal plate, with the result that the antennae are situated on the extremity of the stalk near the compound eye. The process of development in Signal flies is different, however, in that the fronto-orbital plates expanded laterally to produce eyes stalks and consequently the antennae remain in the mid-line position. The development of eyestalks reaches its extreme in the species Achias rothschildi Austen, 1910 from New Guinea, in which males have an eye-span of up to 55 mm [7].
Families of acalyptrate flies exhibiting morphological development associated with agonistic behaviour include: Clusiidae Diopsidae Drosophilidae Platystomatidae Tephritidae Ulidiidae.
See also [1]
Images
Other
Adults are sometimes amongst the most morphologically bizarre forms of all the Diptera.[2]
References
- ^ McAlpine, D.K.1973. Observations on sexual behaviour in some Australian Platystomatidae (Diptera, Schizophora). Records of the Australian Museum 29(1): 1-10.
- ^ McAlpine, D.K.1975. Combat between males of Pogonortalis doclea (Diptera, Platystomatidae) and its relation to structural modification. Australian Entomological Magazine 2(5): 104-107.
- ^ McAlpine, D.K.1979. Agonistic behavior in Achias australis (Diptera, Platystomatidae) and the significance of eyestalks. In: Blum, M. S. and Blum, N. A. (eds). Sexual selection and reproductive competition in insects. Academic Press, New York.
- ^ McAlpine, D.K.1994. Review of the species of Achias (Diptera: Platystomatidae). Invert. Taxon. 8(1): 117-281.
- ^ Whittington, A.E. 2003. Taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical Plastotephritinae (Diptera; Platystomatidae). Studia dipterologica Supplement 12: 1-300.
- ^ Whittington, A.E. 2006. Extreme head morphology in Plastotephritinae (Diptera, Platystomatidae), with a proposition of classification of head structures in Acalyptrate Diptera. Instrumenta Biodiversitatis VII: 61-83.
- ^ Arnauld, P. H. Jr. 1994. Frontispieces: Achias rothschildi Austen (Diptera: Platystomatidae). Myia 5: iv.
Source:
Wikipedia
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![[2]](http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/Diptera/dips/platys.gif){kind=link}