Rhagionidae Latreille, 1802

Rudolf Rozkošný

Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic; rozk@sci.muni.cz

Rhagionidae are small to large, slender flies, with a body length from 2.0 to 20.0 mm. Body colour yellowish to dark, often with a yellow pattern. Males usually holoptic and females dichoptic, antennal flagellum compact, with a subapical style or arista, rounded, onion-shaped or reniform. Wing venation indicating a relationship to other Tabanomorpha; infumations or dark markings on wings not rare. Legs slender, with spurs on mid and hind tibiae. Larval head capsule slender, mostly retracted within thorax; creeping welts distinct on abdominal segments; respiratory system amphipneustic, with posterior spiracles surrounded by four lobes of anal segment. The larvae live in damp soil rich in decaying organic matter, but some species prefer rotten wood, mosses and mud at the edge of running water. The larvae are mostly predaceous, but some are also saprophagous whilst those of Spania are leaf-miners in liverworts. The adults are predaceous; species of Rhagio are often found sitting on the trunks of solitary trees with the head directed downwards.

92 species in 7 genera are known in Europe (Majer 2005). 26 species are included in the new checklist, with 24 in the Czech Republic (24 in Bohemia and 23 in Moravia) and 25 in Slovakia. No additional species have been recorded since the last published version of the checklist (Rozkošný & Spitzer 1997).

The characteristics of the family have been given by Majer (1997). The Central European species may be identified using the key by Rozkošný and Spitzer (1965), whilst faunistic data from the Czech Republic were summarised by Spitzer and Barták (2000). Nomenclature follows the the Fauna Europaea (Majer 2005).

For financial support, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic and the Masaryk University (grant No. MSM 0021622416)are acknowledged.

References

[1] Majer J.M. 1997: Family Rhagionidae. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera (with special reference to flies of economic importance). Vol. 2. Nematocera and Lower Brachycera. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 433-438.

[2] Majer J.M. 2005: Fauna Europaea: Rhagionidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Brachycera. Fauna Europaea Version 1.2, http://www.faunaeur.org.

[3] Rozkošný R. & Spitzer K. 1965: Schnepfenfliegen (Diptera, Rhagionidae) in der Tschechoslowakei. Acta entomologica bohemoslovaca 62: 340-368.

[4] Rozkošný R. & Spitzer K. 1997: Rhagionidae. In Chvála M. (ed.): Check List of Diptera (Insecta) of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Karolinum – Charles University Press, Prague, p. 43.

[5] Spitzer K. & Barták M. 2000: Rhagionidae. In Barták M. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera in an industrially affected region (North-Western Bohemia, Bílina and Duchcov environs) I. Folia Facultatis Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 104: 129-131.