Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog -- Web Version

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29. Family ATHERICIDAE

[Originally] By Akira Nagatomi & Neal L. Evenhuis

The family Athericidae contains the following extant genera: Atherix Meigen (Holarctic), Atrichops Verrall (Palearctic, Oriental, Afrotropical), Dasyomma (Australia, Chile, Argentina), Ibisia Rondani (Europe), Pachybates Bezzi (South Africa), Suragina [Afrotropical, Oriental, Japan, Indonesia (Maluku), Texas, Central America], Trichacantha Stuckenberg (South Africa), and Xeritha Stuckenberg (Brazil). South African "Atherix" may be generically different from Atherix s. str. (see Stuckenberg 1980). Nagatomi (1984) provided a preliminary discussion of the genera of this family.

Larvae live in streams and are predaceous. For discussion of the biology and immature stages of species in Japan and Europe, see Nagatomi (1960, 1961a,b, 1962) and Thomas (1974a,b, 1975, 1976).

Nagatomi & Soroida (1985) discussed the bloodsucking habit and mouthparts of adult athericids. At least some species of the genera Atrichops, Dasyomma, and Suragina are blood feeders.
Refs.: Paramonov (1962, rev. Australian Dasyomma).

Genus DASYOMMA Macquart

DASYOMMA Macquart, 1840: 31 [1841: 309]. Type species: Dasyomma caerulea Macquart, 1840, mon.
abdominale Hardy, 1933b: 408. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT).
dissimile Hardy, 1920a: 121. Australia (Tas).
hardyi Paramonov, 1962: 151. Australia (Tas).
flavum Hardy, 1933b: 408. Australia (NSW).
hydrophilum Paramonov, 1962: 152. Australia (NSW).
infernale Paramonov, 1962: 150. Australia (NSW).
maculipenne Hardy, 1920a: 123. Australia (Tas).
mcalpinei Paramonov, 1962: 147. Australia (NSW).
norrisi Paramonov, 1962: 151. Australia (WA).
tasmanicum Paramonov, 1962: 153. Australia (Tas).
tonnoiri Paramonov, 1962: 146. Australia (ACT); Australia (NSW).

Genus SURAGINA Walker

SURAGINA Walker, 1858b: 110. Type species: Suragina illucens Walker, 1859, mon.
nigritarsis Doleschall, 1858: 92 (Atherix). Indonesia (Maluku).
signipennis Walker, 1861e: 8. Indonesia (Maluku).
tricincta de Meijere, 1929a: 386 [1929b: 416] (Atherix). Indonesia (Maluku).


Genus SURAGINELLA Stuckenberg

SURAGINELLA Stuckenberg, 2000: 152. Type species: Suraginella mcalpinei Stuckenberg, 2000, orig. des.
mcalpinei Stuckenberg, 2000: 154. Australia (Qld).

Unplaced genus of ?Athericidae

Genus MICROPHORA Kröber

MICROPHORA Kröber, 1912a: 118 (key) [1912f: 245]. Type species: Microphora angustifrons Kröber, 1912, subs. mon. Kröber, 1912f: 245.
MICROPHORINA Strand, 1932b: 195 (unnec. n. n. for Microphora).
angustifrons Kröber, 1912f: 245 (Microphora). PNG (Bismarck Arch).


This page last revised 21 May 2007