Acropsilus
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Diptera
- Family: Dolichopodidae
- Genus: Acropsilus
Visual Description
Acropsilus species are small-sized flies, typically measuring between 1.0 and 2.3 mm in length.[2] Observations of preserved specimens from the TreeOfLife-200M dataset reveal a slender body form characteristic of many dolichopodids.[1] The head features an apical arista, and the mesonotum is relatively short with a distinct transverse fold located just anterior to the scutellum.[2]
Ecology and Distribution
Acropsilus is primarily distributed in the Old World, showing high species richness and abundance in moist tropical habitats across the Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australasian regions.[2] These flies are frequently collected in tropical lowlands using malaise and water traps.[2] In northern Australia, they are particularly abundant during and after monsoonal rains, though they remain restricted to permanent water sources during drier periods.[2]
Morphology and Systematics
The genus is well-defined by several diagnostic traits. The clypeus typically bears four projecting setae, and the male tergum 1 is notably wider than the thorax and subsequent abdominal segments.[2] The male hypopygium is pedunculate, and the sternum 8 features a distinctive inverted Y-shaped carina, which is considered an autapomorphy for the genus.[2] Acropsilus is provisionally placed in the subfamily Peloropeodinae and is closely related to the Oriental genus Griphomyia.[2]
Gallery
References
- 1 2 Dataset view for Animalia / Arthropoda / Insecta / Diptera / Dolichopodidae / Acropsilus constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Daniel J. Bickel. Australian, Melanesian and Micronesian Acropsilus Mik (Diptera: Dolichopodidae). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie. 1998. https://doi.org/10.1163/22119434-99900001.