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Family CYPSELOSOMATIDAE


Compiler and date details

December 2010 - 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

Cypselomatidae is a small fly family represented in Australia by only two described species in the genus Clisa. Current taxonomy has it positioned closely with family Pseudopomyzidae. Australian species that were originally described in genus Cypselosoma are now placed in Clisa McAlpine; McAlpine (1993) includes a key to species of Clisa. The genus Formicosepsis is included here as there are records from Queensland, although no species are described formally from Australia.

Biology
Specimens of Clisa australis were collected in caves and have been bred from bat dung. Near Dorrigo NSW, specimens have also been collected at outdoor pit toilets, far from caves.

 

General References

Hamilton, J. et al. 2006. On the Fly, The interactive atlas and key to Australian fly families. [CD-Rom] CBIT & Australian Biological Resources Study, Brisbane & Canberra

Mathis, W.N. 2008. Family Cypselosomatidae (incl. Pseudopomyzidae). In Evenhuis, N.L.(ed.) Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. (online version). http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/cypselosomatidae.html [Originally by W.N. Mathis, but updated by multiple authors]

McAlpine, D.K. 1993. A new genus of Australian cypselosomatid flies (Diptera: Nerioidea). General and Applied Entomology 25: 2-4 [Date published 15 December]