BRACHYCERA, Muscomorpha Schizophora Acalyptratae, Opomyzoidea

Number of British species: 373

Size: T-S

Difficulty: 3-4 Panel

Minute to medium sized (1-6 mm) flies, varying in colour from all yellow to black to metallic green. Arista bare to pubescent; ocelli present; Ocellar bristles present; Postvertical bristles diverging; 2-8 pairs of frontal bristles, the lower 1-3 pairs curving inward, the other pairs backward; interfrontal bristles absent; interfrontal setulae sometimes present; vibrissae present but in some cases weak. Wing unmarked; costa with subcostal break; vein Sc complete or incomplete, apically ending in vein R₁ (Agromyzinae) or separate from vein R₁ but reduced to a fold that may or may not reach the costa (Phytomyzinae); crossvein BM-Cu present; cell cup closed. Tibiae without dorsal preapical bristle. Female with oviscape, non retractable basal segment of the ovipositor.

The larvae are mining, generally in the stalks or leaves of herbs, sometimes in roots, seeds or under bark. In the few species living on woody plants this may lead to gall formation. Most species are more or less host specific and several species cause damage to economically important plants. The shape of the mine is often characteristic of the species and therefore useful for identification. Adults occur in a variety of habitats, depending on the larval host plants.

Bland (1993), Bland (1995), Bland (1997), Bland (2000), Bland & Tschirnhaus (1998), Bland et al. (1999), Cole (1998), Deeming (1995), Deeming (1999), Gibbs (2002), Godfray (1985), Henshaw (2002), Irwin (1985b), McLean (1981), Spencer (1972), Spencer (1976), Spencer (1990), Spencer & Martinez (1987), Stubbs (2000)