Belongs within: Metopininae.
Melaloncha is a Neotropical genus of scuttle flies with larvae that are endoparasitoids of bees. Females have the abdominal segment 7 sclerotised and the following segments modified into a sharp stylet to form a piercing ovipositor.
Characters (from Brown 2004): Frons narrow. Supra-antennal setae absent. Fore femur with posterodorsal seta near apex. Apical tarsomere of fore leg lacking claws in male. Hind femur with erect dorsal setae. Mid and hind tibia with irregular, sinuous rows of enlarged setulae anterodorsally. Tergites and often thorax of most species with silver pollinosity. Female abdominal segment 7 completely sclerotised, forming a parasitic type ovipositor. Intersegment 7-8 modified, with sclerotisation of various forms. Posterior segments 9-10 of female abdomen forming a sharp, pointed, piercing stylet. Male with subepandrial plate with long, posterolateral lobes; aedeagus extremely elongate.
<==Melaloncha Brues 1904 [=Melanoloncha (l. c.)]B04 | i. s.: M. elongataBW09 |--M. (Melaloncha)B04 | |--*M. (M.) pulchellaB04 | |--M. (M.) cuspidataB04 | |--M. (M.) digitalisB04 | |--M. (M.) flavaB04 | |--M. (M.) plaumanniB04 | |--M. (M.) punctifronsB04 | `--+--M. (M.) clavataB04 | |--M. (M.) hyalinipennisB04 | |--M. (M.) maculataB04 | |--M. (M.) palpalisB04 | |--M. (M.) sinistraB04 | |--M. (M.) striatulaB04 | |--M. (M.) stylataB04 | |--+--M. (M.) cingulatusB04 | | `--M. (M.) lamellataB04 | |--+--M. (M.) furcataB04 | | `--M. (M.) obscurellaB04 | `--+--M. (M.) nigrifronsB04 | |--M. (M.) nigritaB04 | `--+--M. (M.) genitalisB04 | |--M. (M.) glabrifronsB04 | `--M. (M.) ungulataB04 `--M. (Udamochiras Enderlein 1912)B04 |--M. (U.) flavilata Brown 2004B04 |--+--M. (U.) brevicarina Brown 2004B04 | |--M. (U.) carinata Brown 2004B04 | `--M. (U.) premordica Brown 2004B04 `--+--M. (U.) angustifrons Brown 2004B04 |--+--M. (U.) trua Brown 2004B04 | `--+--M. (*U.) colossia (Enderlein 1912) [=*Udamochiras colossia]B04 | |--M. (U.) rhampha Brown 2004B04 | |--M. (U.) rostrata Brown 2004B04 | `--M. (U.) valeria Brown 2004B04 `--+--M. (U.) anaticula Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) apicula Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) basella Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) biseta Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) compressicauda Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) deinocerca Borgmeier 1960B04 |--M. (U.) exigua Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) falcata Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) hansoni Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) hirticauda Borgmeier 1934B04 |--M. (U.) lobata Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) maculifrons Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) nigricorpus Borgmeier 1934B04 |--M. (U.) parkeri Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) piliapex Borgmeier 1938B04 |--M. (U.) ronnai Borgmeier 1935 [incl. Phora apum Amerling 1862 (n. n.)]B04 |--M. (U.) rubricornis Borgmeier 1924B04 |--M. (U.) simillima Borgmeier 1938B04 |--M. (U.) sinuosa Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) triangularis Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) villosa Brown 2004B04 |--M. (U.) woodi Brown 2004B04 |--+--M. (U.) aprica Brown 2004B04 | `--M. (U.) paxilla Brown 2004B04 |--+--M. (U.) individa Brown 2004B04 | `--M. (U.) rhypopoda Brown 2004B04 |--+--M. (U.) horologia Brown 2004B04 | `--+--M. (U.) spatula Brown 2004B04 | `--M. (U.) vargasi Brown 2004B04 `--+--M. (U.) spicula Brown 2004B04 `--+--M. (U.) hamata Brown 2004B04 `--M. (U.) mexicana Borgmeier 1971B04
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B04] Brown, B. V. 2004. Revision of the subgenus Udamochiras of Melaloncha bee-killing flies (Diptera: Phoridae: Metopininae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140: 1–42.
[BW09] Buck, M., N. E. Woodley, A. Borkent, D. M. Wood, T. Pape, J. R. Vockeroth, V. Michelsen & S. A. Marshall. 2009. Key to Diptera families—adults. In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 1 pp. 95–156. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.