Pelecorhynchidae Explained

Pelecorhynchidae is a small family of flies. All of the genera were originally placed in the family Rhagionidae, and their elevation to family rank has been controversial.[1] Other phylogenetic analyses have supported Pelecorhynchidae as a distinct clade from Rhagionidae.[2] The adults of Pelecorhynchus mostly feed on nectar of Leptospermum flowers. Larvae have been collected in the damp margins of swamp areas, where they feed on earthworms.[3]

Distribution

The genus Pelecorhynchus is known from Australia and Chile. The genera Glutops and Pseudoerinna are distributed in the Nearctic and eastern Palaearctic.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pruning the tree: a critical review of classifications of the Homeodactyla (Diptera, Brachycera), with new perspectives and an alternative classification. B. Stuckenberg. 2001. Studia Dipterologica. 30 September 2011.
  2. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Wiegmann. 2011. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108. 14. 5690–5. PNAS. 10.1073/pnas.1012675108. 21402926. 3078341. etal. free. 2011PNAS..108.5690W.
  3. Web site: Australian National Insect Collection Database: Pelecorhynchidae. CSIRO Australia. 24 May 2010.