Family ASTEIIDAE
Asteiid Flies
Compiler and date details
July 2011 - Scott Ginn, Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia
2007 - R. Johnson, data taken from Evenhuis, N.L. Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions (accessed 2007)
Introduction
Asteiidae are a small family of acalypterate flies with at least 100 species described worldwide. The family is well represented, especially in the Pacific Islands, however specimens are rarely encountered. Currently only two species are described from Australia, each respresenting one genus. Two additional genera Phlebosotera and Asteia appear to be present in Australia, but there are currently no described species for these groups. These two genera have not been included in the current catalogue.
Adult flies in this family are small (~2.0 mm or less). The immature stages of species in this family are largely unknown. Some species have been reared from fungi. Sabrosky (1956) published a key to World genera.
General References
Evenhuis, N. (originally by Sabrosky, C.W) Family Asteiidae. In Evenhuis, N.L. (ed.) Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. 3 June 2007. http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/asteiidae.html
Malloch, J.R. 1924. Notes on Australian Diptera. No. III. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 49: 329-338 [24 October]
Malloch, J.R. 1927. Notes on Australian Diptera. No. xiii. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 52: 399-446
Sabrosky, C.W. 1956. Additions to the knowledge of Old World Asteiidae (Diptera). Revue Française d'Entomologie 23: 216-243