Nemestrinidae

Belongs within: Orthorrhapha.

The Nemestrinidae are a group of medium to large, compact, usually hairy flies with parasitic larvae. Eggs are laid in cracks and crevices in wood, with the first-instar larvae being mobile and able to actively seek a suitable host. Mature larvae reside in the haemocoel of their host, connected to the outside world via a respiratory tube. Where known, larvae of Trichopsideinae develop as parasites of grasshoppers (Acrididae) whereas Atriadops parasitise katydids (Tettigoniidae). Hirmoneura attack the larvae of scarabaeid beetles. Adults are fast-flying and may feed at flowers or have reduced mouthparts and do not feed (Woodley 2009).

Characters (from Colless & McAlpine 1991): Antennal segment 3 simple and styliform, or terminating in a slender, simple or three-segmented style; veins R₄₊₅ and M₁₊₂ fused to form a strong composite oblque vein; tibiae without apical spurs; empodium pulvilliform; cerci of female unsegmented, sometimes conspicuously long.

Nemestrinidae [Hirmoneuridae]
    |--ArchinemestriinaeBLM02
    |--Hirmoneura [Hirmoneurinae]W09
    |    |--H. elenaeGE05
    |    `--H. obscuraW09
    |--Atriadops [Atriadopsinae]W09
    |    |--A. maculaW09
    |    `--A. vespertilio (Loew 1858) [=Colax vespertilio]H61
    |--Nemestrina Latreille 1802RD77, L02 [NemestrininaeT81]
    |    |--*N. reticulataL02 [=Anthrax (Nemestrina) reticulataG20]
    |    |--N. longirostrisRD77
    |    `--N. pereziRD77
    `--TrichopsideinaeW09
         |--FalleniaW09
         |--TrichopsideaW09 [incl. SymmictusT81]
         |    |--T. clausaW09
         |    `--T. oestraceaCM91
         `--NeorhynchocephalusW09
              |--N. sackeniiW09
              `--N. volaticusW09

Nemestrinidae incertae sedis:
  Protonemestrius rohdendorfi Ren 1998R98
  Prohirmoneura jurassicaGE05
  Florinemestrius pulcherrimus Ren 1998R98
  SinonemestriusGE05
  Iberomosca ponomarenkoiGE05
  ProsoecaH61
    |--P. accincta (Wiedemann 1830) [=Nemestrina accincta]H61
    |--P. caffraria Lichtwardt 1910H61
    |--P. saxeaGE05
    |--P. umbrosaH61
    `--P. westermanni Wiedem. 1821 [=Nemestrina westermanni]R01
  Nemestrius incertusGE05
  Moegistorrhynchus longirostrisGE05
  Trichophthalma laetilineaWT11, CM91
  HyrmophlaebiniW09
    |--HirmoneuropsisW09
    `--HyrmophlaebaW09
         |--H. brevirostrisW09
         |--H. texana [=Hirmoneura texana]W09
         `--H. vicariansW09
  Neohirmoneura psilotesW09
  CyclopsideaCM91
  NycterimyiaO98
  RhynchocephalusR01

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[BLM02] Blagoderov, V. A., E. D. Lukashevich & M. B. Mostovski. 2002. Order Diptera Linné, 1758. The true flies (=Muscida Laicharting, 1781). In: Rasnitsyn, A. P., & D. L. J. Quicke (eds) History of Insects pp. 227–240. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht.

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.

[GE05] Grimaldi, D., & M. S. Engel. 2005. Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press: New York.

[H61] Hull, F. M. 1961. Diptera (Brachycera): Nemestrinidae. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 413–414. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.

[L02] Latreille, P. A. 1802. Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière des crustacés et des insectes vol. 3. Familles naturelles des genres. F. Dufart: Paris.

[O98] Oosterbroek, P. 1998. The Families of Diptera of the Malay Archipelago. Brill: Leiden.

[R98] Ren, D. 1998. Flower-associated Brachycera flies as fossil evidence for Jurassic angiosperm origins. Science 280: 85–88.

[R01] Ricardo, G. 1901. Notes on Diptera from South Africa (concluded). Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 7, 7: 89–110.

[RD77] Richards, O. W., & R. G. Davies. 1977. Imms’ General Textbook of Entomology 10^th ed. vol. 2. Classification and Biology. Chapman and Hall: London.

[T81] Teskey, H. J. 1981. Nemestrinidae. In: McAlpine, J. F., B. V. Peterson, G. E. Shewell, H. J. Teskey, J. R. Vockeroth & D. S. Wood (eds) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 1 pp. 585–588. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.

[W09] Woodley, N. E. 2009. Nemestrinidae (tangle-veined flies). 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. 557–560. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.