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DIPTERA-- Acroceridae -- <Images> & <Juveniles>Please refer also to the following link: Link 1
This is a small family of odd
looking flies most closely related to Nemestrinidae. There are about 520
species in 50 genera. They are characterized by a humpbacked appearance and a
small head, sometimes with a long proboscis for nectar. As such, acrocerids
are commonly known as small-headed
flies or hunchback-flies.
Many are bee or wasp mimics. Their eyes are often holoptic; their heads seem
to be composed primarily of ommatidia. They are cosmopolitan in distribution
but rarely observed in most places; the majority of the over 500 species are
known from fewer than 10 specimens. They are found most commonly in semi-arid
tropical locations.
All small headed flies are parasitoids of spiders. They are most
commonly collected when a spider from the field is brought into captivity.
The adults do not seek out their hosts; instead the first instar larvae is a
planidium that seeks out spiders. When a spider contacts an acrocerid
planidium, the larva grabs hold of the spider, crawls up the spider's legs to
its body, and forces its way through the body wall, often lodging near the
book lung, where it may remain for years before completing its development.
Some obsolete names for Acroceridae include "Cyrtidae" and
"Oncodidae". References: Please
refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references
may be found at MELVYL Library] |