Belongs within: Stratiomyomorpha.
Contains: Stratiomyini, Oxycerini, Sarginae, Clitellariinae, Pachygastrinae.
The Stratiomyidae, soldier flies, are an ecologically diverse group of often colourful flies. Larvae of the Stratiomyinae and Nemotelinae are aquatic whereas larvae of other subfamilies are terrestrial, mostly living in association with decaying plant or animal matter.
As adults, the Chiromyzinae are markedly sexually dimorphic, with females much larger than males, and have atrophied mouthparts, an unarmed scutellum and an elongate abdomen. The Beridinae have a similarly elongate abdomen but retain functional mouthparts and usually have six or more marginal spines or tubercles on the scutellum. The Nemotelinae are characterised by the presence of six antennal flagellomeres and the absence of crossvein bm-cu (Woodley 2009). Eight antennal flagellomeres are present in the subfamilies Clitellariinae, Chrysochlorininae and Hermetiinae. Chrysochlorininae have the terminal antennal segment aristate whereas in Hermetiinae it forms a laterally flattened, blade-like stylus (Woodley 2009).
Characters (from James 1981): Slender to quite robust flies, 2–18 mm long. Colour usually yellow, green, blue, or black, sometimes metallic, frequently with variegated color patterns particularly on abdomen. Bristles not developed, though body, especially thorax, sometimes densely pilose. Head usually as broad as thorax but sometimes broader, hemispherical to spherical. Occipital (postocular) orbit often well-developed, especially in female. Eyes ranging from bare to densely hairy, widely separated in female, more narrowly separated or contiguous in male, each eye in male often divided into an upper area comprising large facets and a lower area of small facets; ocelli present. Antenna inserted at or below middle of head; scape and pedicel unmodified except in respect to elongation; flagellum consisting of five to eight flagellomeres. Proboscis usually fleshy, sometimes atrophied, sometimes elongated, never adapted for sucking blood; palpus one- or two-segmented, not conspicuous. Thorax rectangular-oval in dorsal outline, sometimes elongated. Scutellum sometimes with one to three pairs of apical spines. Wing well-developed (rarely absent); C not reaching beyond apex of wing; stronger veins crowded anteriorly; branches of R always meeting wing margin well before wing apex; Rs usually arising from R1 shortly before base of cell d or dm; R4 short, often indistinct or wanting; veins toward posterior margin of wing weak, tending to evanesce. Legs simple, at most with certain segrnents or tarsomeres inflated or elongated, never densely pilose; fore coxa never unusually elongated; pulvilli and empodia pad-like; tibial spurs only rarely developed. Abdomen composed of five to eight visible segments, with the remaining segments telescoped into visible ones or forming terminalia; outline from dorsal view varying from almost round to elongate-oval, sometimes petiolate or spatulate; vestiture moderate, never dense. Male terminalia usually small, rather simple; surstylus simple and ventral; aedeagus two- or three-pronged; cercus simple. Terminal female segments forming at most a simple weakly developed ovipositor. Larva elongated, flattened, composed of head capsule and 11 body segments; integument shagreened from deposit of calcium carbonate plates; head capsule well-developed, although broadly open posteroventrally, retracted more than half its length within thorax, but not functionally retractile; anterior exposed portion elongated and narrow except for ocular prominences, broadened posteriorly; mandible and maxilla more or less completely fused, operating vertically; maxillary palpus distinct; no free pharyngeal skeleton within head capsule; antenna usually located anterolaterally. Prothorax broader than head, with remainder of body either parallel-sided to near apex or attaining maximum width at abdominal segment 2; prominent lateral spiracles present on prothorax; lateral spiracles sometimes present on metathorax and on abdominal segments 1–6 or 1–7, but small and probably not functional; posterior spiracles functional, located in transverse cleft on terminal abdominal segment; prolegs lacking, although ventral hooks sometimes present, especially on penultimate or antepenultimate segment, or both. Pupation occurring within last larval integument.
<==Stratiomyidae [Stratiomyiidae, Stratiomyriidae]W09
|--+--Parhadrestia [Parhadrestiinae]GC99
| `--Cretaceogaster Teskey 1971GC99
| `--*C. pygmaeus Teskey 1971GC99
`--+--PachygastrinaeGC99
|--ChiromyzinaeGC99
| |--Chiromyza vittataW09
| |--Boreoides subulatusCM91
| `--InopusJ81 [incl. AltermetoponiaCM74]
| `--I. rubriceps (Macquart 1847)H82 [=Altermetoponia rubricepsCM70]
`--BeridinaeGC99
|--AllognostaJ81
|--Actina viridisJ81
|--ArcuavenaW09
|--Heteracanthia ruficornisW09
|--BeridellaW09
|--BerismyiaW09
|--ParaberismyiaW09
|--OplachanthaW09
`--Beris Latreille 1802L02
|--*B. sexdentata [=Stratiomys sexdentata]L02
|--B. annuliferaJ81
|--B. clavipes [=Xylophagus (Beris) clavipes]G20
|--B. fuscipesW09
`--B. nigritarsisR26
Stratiomyidae incertae sedis:
Barbiellinia Bezzi 1922K03
`--*B. hirta Bezzi 1922K03
Montsecia martinezdelclosiGE05
Syndipnomyia auricinctaC91
LysozusW09
PedinoceraW09
Exaireta spinigerCM91
Neoexaireta spinigeraCM70
EvazaO98
SaldubellaO98
Geosargus [Geosarginae]RD77
Chrysochlorina [Chrysochlorininae]W09
|--C. hateriusW09
`--C. quadrilineataJ81
Hermetiinae [Hermetiini]W09
|--Chaetohermetia apicalisW09
`--HermetiaW09
|--H. albitarsisW09
|--H. flavipesW09
`--H. illucens [=Xylophagus (Hermetia) illucens]G20
StratiomyinaeW09
|--StratiomyiniW09
|--OxyceriniW09
`--Prosopochrysini [Myxosargini]W09
|--Nothomyia parvicornisW09
`--MyxosargusW09
|--M. knowltoniW09
`--M. nigricornisW09
RaphiocerinaeW09
|--Raphiocera armataW09
|--Analcoceroides longicornisW09
|--Brachythrix dileucostigmaW09
|--Anisoscapus chlorovittatusW09
|--Neanalcocerus hortulanusW09
|--Phanerozus pampinusW09
|--Heptozus hansoniW09
|--Dolichothrix melanothoraxW09
`--Histiodroma caloptera [=Raphiocera caloptera]W09
NemotelinaeW09
|--Akronia frontosaJ81
|--BrachycaraW09
| |--B. maculataW09
| `--B. slossonaeW09
`--NemotelusW09
|--N. albirostrisW09
|--N. bifasciatusL49
|--N. canadensisW09
|--N. (Camptopelta) glaberW09
|--N. kansensisJ81
|--N. longirostrisL49
|--N. pantherinus (Linnaeus 1758)L49, L58 [=Musca pantherinaL49; incl. N. marginatusL49]
|--N. signatusK01
|--N. trinotatusE66
|--N. uliginosusL49
|--N. variusK01
`--N. zichyi Kertész 1901K01
SarginaeW09
ClitellariinaeW09
CacosisP92
HermetiellaP92
Eulalia evansiE66
Nemotela punctataR26
Vappo aterR26 [=Sargus (Vappo) aterG20]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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[L49] Lucas, H. 1849. Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842 publiée par ordre du gouvernement et avec le concours d’une commission académique. Sciences physiques. Zoologie. II. Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés. Troisième partie. Insectes (suite). Imprimerie Nationale: Paris.
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