Belongs within: Schizophora.
The Diopsidae, stalk-eyed flies, are a distinctive family of flies in which the head is usually extended laterally, with the antennae positioned near the ends of the lateral processes close to the eyes (in other flies with similarly-shaped heads, the antennae remain close to the midline of the head). The majority of species are found in Eurasia and Africa with only a single species Sphyracephala brevicornis known from North America (Peterson 1987).
Characters (from van Bruggen 1961): Head with two pairs of bristles (inner and outer orbital bristles) and no vibrissae. Head usually produced laterally (except in Centrioncus) to a varying degree in both sexes; eyes and antennae borne on these processes. Thorax showing modification of pleurotergite into dome-shaped swelling or well-developed spine; scutellum with two spines, supra-alar spines may also be present; posterior thoracic spiracle encircled by weak hairs, none of which are developed into a bristle. Fore femora frequently incrassate, bearing a double series of small teeth on ventral surface, bristles may be present between these teeth. Wing venation greatly reduced, C complete, R2+3, R4+5 and M1+2 reaching margin near apex of wing, M4+Cu1 and A1 not always present.
<==Diopsidae [Centrioncidae] |--TeloglabrusWT11 `--+--CyrtodiopsisWT11 | |--C. africanaB61 | `--C. dalmanniWT11 `--Sphyracephala Say 1828WT11, B61 [incl. Hexechopsis Rondani 1875B61, Hexecopsis (l. c.)B61, Zygocephala Rondani 1875B61] |--*S. brevicornis [=Diopsis brevicornis]B61 |--S. beccarii (Rondani 1873) (see below for synonymy)B61 |--S. hearseianaP87 [=Diopsis hearsejana (l. c.)B61, *Zygocephala hearsejana (l. c.)B61] |--S. munroi Curran 1928B61 `--S. succiniB61 Diopsidae incertae sedis: ProsphyracephalaP87 |--P. rubiensisP87 `--P. succini [incl. P. breviata]P87 TrichodiopsisB61 PhryxodiopsisB61 CladodiopsisB61 Centrioncus Speiser 1910B61 `--*C. prodiopsis Speiser 1910B61 Diopsina Curran 1928B61 `--*D. ferruginea Curran 1928B61 Teleopsis Rondani 1875B61 |--*T. sykesii [=Diopsis sykesii]B61 |--T. erythrocephala (Westwood 1837)B61 `--T. nitida Adams 1903B61 Diasemopsis Rondani 1875 [incl. Chaetodiopsis Séguy 1955]B61 |--*D. aethiopica (Rondani 1873) (see below for synonymy)B61 |--D. amora Curran 1931B61 |--D. concolor (Westwood 1837)B61 |--D. dubia (Bigot 1874)B61 |--D. elegantulaB61 |--D. fasciata (Gray 1832)B61 |--D. meigeni (Westwood 1837) [=Diopsis meigenii, *Chaetodiopsis meigeni]B61 |--D. munroi Curran 1931B61 |--D. obstans (Walker 1861)B61 |--D. signata (Dalman 1817)B61 |--D. silvaticaB61 `--D. terminata Macquart 1845B61 Diopsis Linnaeus 1775B61 |--*D. ichneumoneaB61 |--D. anthracina Brunetti 1928B61 |--D. apicalis Dalman 1817B61 |--D. basalisB61 |--D. circularis Macquart 1835B61 |--D. collaris Westwood 1837B61 |--D. cruciata Curran 1934B61 |--D. curva Bertoloni 1862B61 |--D. dimidiata Curran 1929B61 |--D. fumipennisB61 |--D. furcata Macquart 1845B61 |--D. globosa Curran 1931B61 |--D. leucochira Bezzi 1908B61 |--D. macquarti Guérin-Méneville 1829B61 |--D. macrophthalma Dalman 1817 (see below for synonymy)B61 |--D. munroi Curran 1929B61 |--D. phlogodes Hendel 1923B61 |--D. pollinosa Adams 1903B61 |--D. punctigera Westwood 1837B61 |--D. servillei Macquart 1843B61 |--D. surcoufi Séguy 1955B61 `--D. tenuipes Westwood 1837B61 EurydiopsisO98 PseudodiopsisO98
*Diasemopsis aethiopica (Rondani 1873) [=Diopsis aethiopica; incl. Dia. varians Eggers 1816, Dia. veliventris Hendel 1923]B61
Diopsis macrophthalma Dalman 1817 [=Diasemopsis macrophthalma; incl. Diopsis longicornis Macquart 1835, Diopsis thoracica Westwood 1837]B61
Sphyracephala beccarii (Rondani 1873) [=Diopsis beccarii, *Hexechopsis beccarii; incl. Sphyracephala africana Karsch 1887]B61
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B61] Bruggen, A. C. van. 1961. Diptera (Brachycera): Diopsidae. A partial revision of the Diopsidae or stalk-eyed flies of southern Africa. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 415–439. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.
[O98] Oosterbroek, P. 1998. The Families of Diptera of the Malay Archipelago. Brill: Leiden.
[P87] Peterson, B. V. 1987. Diopsidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 785–789. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.
[WT11] Wiegmann, B. M., M. D. Trautwein, I. S. Winkler, N. B. Barr, J.-W. Kim, C. Lambkin, M. A. Bertone, B. K. Cassel, K. M. Bayless, A. M. Heimberg, B. M. Wheeler, K. J. Peterson, T. Pape, B. J. Sinclair, J. H. Skevington, V. Blagoderov, J. Caravas, S. N. Kutty, U. Schmidt-Ott, G. E. Kampmeier, F. C. Thompson, D. A. Grimaldi, A. T. Beckenbach, G. W. Courtney, M. Friedrich, R. Meier & D. K. Yeates. 2011. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 108 (14): 5690–5695.