Hybotidae, the typical dance flies, are a family of true flies. They belong to the superfamily Empidoidea and were formerly included in the Empididae as a subfamily.
Some, such as Tachydromia, are predators that run around on the bark of trees in complex patterns, hence the common name. Tachydromia species are only about three millimeters long.
Description
Hybotidae share some similarities with the family Dolichopodidae when looking at the rotation of genitalia and wing characteristics. Male terminalia are rotated dextrally between 45° and 90°, excluding segment 7. Hybotidae wings always have a simple R4+5 vein, where the costa either ends near or at M1/M1+2, or near or at R4+5/R5. Furthermore, it can be distinguished from Dolichopodidae by a point at the origin of vein Rs, which occurs at a distance from the humeral crossvein (h) equal to or longer than the length of h.
Systematics The Hybotidae clearly form a lineage quite distinct from the Empididae. Among the Empidoidea, they represent a lineage more basal than the main radiation of Empididae and Dolichopodidae, though they are not as ancient as the genera placed in the Atelestidae.
By and large, the Hybotidae are monophyletic. Among its subfamilies, the Hybotinae and Tachydromiinae certainly represent clades. The status of the Ocydromiinae as a natural group is less clear, in particular whether the Trichininae should be included as tribe Trichinini or even in the Bicellariini or Oedaleini, or whether they are more distinct and warrant recognition as a separate subfamily.
Based on the most recent phylogenetic studies, the relationship between Hybotidae and other members of Empidoidea is as follows. The placement of Hybotidae is emphasized in bold formatting.
Systematic list
The subfamilies with their tribes and selected genera are:Hybotinae Meigen, 1820 Acarterus Loew, 1858 Afrohybos Smith, 1967 Ceratohybos Bezzi Chillcottomyia Saigusa, 1986 Euhybus Coquillett, 1895 †Eternia Martins-Neto et al. 1992 Tremembé Formation, Brazil, Chattian Hybos Meigen, 1803 Lactistomyia Melander, 1902 Lamachella Melander, 1928 Neohybos Ale-Rocha & Carvalho, 2003 Parahybos Kertész, 1899 †Pseudoacarterus Waters 1989 Orapa, Botswana, Turonian Smithybos Ale-Rocha, 2000 Stenoproctus Loew, 1858 Syndyas Loew, 1857 Syneches Walker, 1852 †Syneproctus Solórzano-Kraemer et al. 2020 Dominican amber, Miocene Ocydromiinae Tribe Bicellariini Sinclair & Cumming, 2006 (could be moved into Hybotinae per Sinclair & Cumming, 2006) Bicellaria Macquart, 1823 Hoplocyrtoma Melander, 1928 Leptocyrtoma Saigusa, 1986 Tribe Ocydromiini Abocciputa Plant, 1989 Apterodromia Oldroyd, 1949 Austropeza Collin, 1928 Chvalaea Papp & Földvári, 2002 Hoplopeza Bezzi, 1909 Leptodromia Sinclair & Cumming, 2000 Leptodromiella Tuomikoski, 1936 Leptopeza Macquart, 1834 Leptopezella Sinclair & Cumming 2007 Neotrichina Cumming, 2000 Ocydromia Meigen, 1820 Oropezella Collin, 1926 Pseudoscelolabes Collin, 1933 Scelolabes Philippi, 1865 Stylocydromia Saigusa, 1986 †Ecommocydromia Schlüter 1978 Bezonnais amber, France, Cenomanian †Pouillonhybos Ngô-Muller et al. 2020, Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
Trichininae Chvála, 1983 (often included in Ocydromiinae) Trichina Meigen, 1830 Trichinomyia Tuomikoski, 1959 Oedaleinae Chvála, 1983 Allanthalia Melander, 1927 Anthalia Zetterstedt, 1838 Euthyneura Macquart, 1836 Oedalea Meigen, 1820 Tachydromiinae Meigen, 1822 Tribe Symballophthalmini Bradley, Sinclair & Cumming, 2006 Symballophthalmus Becker, 1889 Tribe Drapetidini Collin, 1961 Allodromia Smith, 1962 Atodrapetis Plant, 1997 Austrodrapetis Smith, 1964 Austrodromia Collin, 1961 Chaetodromia Chillcott & Teskey, 1983 Chersodromia Haliday in Walker, 1851 Crossopalpus Bigot, 1857 Drapetis Meigen, 1822 Dusmetina Gil Collado, 1930 Elaphropeza Macquart, 1827 Isodrapetis Collin, 1961 Megagrapha Melander, 1928 Micrempis Melander, 1928 Nanodromia Grootaert, 1994 Ngaheremyia Plant & Didham, 2006 Parallelodromia Sinclair, Cumming & Shamsev 2022 Pontodromia Grootaert, 1994 Sinodrapetis Yang, Gaimari & Grootaert, 2004 Stilpon Loew, 1859 Tribe Tachydromiini Charadrodromia Melander, 1928 Dysaletria Loew, 1864 Pieltainia Arias, 1919 Platypalpus Macquart, 1827 Tachydromia Meigen, 1803 Tachyempis Melander, 1928 Tachypeza Meigen, 1830
†Archaeodrapetiops Martins-Neto et al. 1992 Tremembé Formation, Brazil, Chattian †Cretoplatypalpus Kovalev 1978 Taimyr amber, Russia, Santonian, Canadian amber, Campanian †Electrocyrtoma Cockerell 1917 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Eoplatypalpus Shamshev, Vasilenko & Perkovsky 2025 Sakhalinian amber, Russia, Eocene †Mesoplatypalpus Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 Canadian amber, Campanian
Stuckenbergomyiinae Sinclair, 2019
Stuckenbergomyia Smith, 1971
Incertae sedis
†Grimaldipeza Solórzano-Kraemer et al. 2023 El Soplao, Spain, Middle Albian, La Hoya, Spain, Early Cenomanian †Trichinites Hennig 1970 Lebanese amber, Barremian
References
External links
Family description Images at Diptera.info Key to UK genera