Key to Genera

Family Lonchaeidae     

Interactive Key to World Genera              last update  January 2019

1. Poststigmatal seta / setae  present on anterior marginal area of the anepisternum directly above,and slightly posterior to, the anterior thoracic spiracle……… DASIOPINAE …… Dasiops Rondani   species pages

-   Poststigmatal setae absent  ……… LONCHAEINAE ………………. 2

2. Lunule bare, antennal postpedicel at most not much longer than deep   ……………………………. EAROMYINAE  ……………….  3

Lunule with setulae, antennal postpedicel usually significantly longer than deep. ……………………….  LONCHAEINI  ………………..  6

3.  Scutellum entirely bare apart from the 4 marginal setae. Body and legs entirelly black...........….  Protearomyia McAlpine    species.pages

-    Scutellum with additional setulae  on margin (these sometimes small) between the 4 strong setae. Body colur vlack or metallic .    …………..  4

4.  Margin of scutellum with setulae anterior to the lateral setae. Proepimeron with several setulae.  Anterodorsal setae of the anepisternum weak or absent. Genae and parafacials wide. Calypteres with whitish         margins and fringes  ………………….….  Chaetolonchaea  Czerny     species. pages

-   Margin of scutellum bare anterior to the lateral setae, genae of normal width (except in a few cold adapted Earomyia), eyes usually bare or short pilose.  Male terminalia; surstyli never with prensisetae,  body colour black to metallic, eyes bare to short pilose, basal tarsomeres black to yellow ………………   5

5.  -   Male terminalia; positioned within abdomen with ventral surface usually ventrally directed,  epandrium without a distinct sclerite visible anterior to the suture (except in E. viridana which is without elongated epandrium and cerci), square to higher than deep, posterior margin often with strong setae. Surstyli well developed laminate lobes often extending beyond shell of epandrium. Cerci small, upright square or triangular extending posteriorly from the shell of the epandrium.  Phallus usually a simple tube, without ornamentation. Body colour metallic green-blue to black, arista usually bare. ………………………….    Earomyia Zetterstedt (Europe and North America) and Lamprolonchaea Bezzi *  (Old World tropics)

Male terminalia; positioned within abdomen with posterior surface ventrally directed, epandrium flattened, portion anterior to the suture well developed as a distinct sclerite,  posterior margin without strong setae, surstyli rudimentary contained entirely within shell of epandrium, cerci large, elongate and usually laminate, phallus often complex and ornamented (Figs. 4 & 5). Body colour metallic blue-green, arista pubescent to short plumose ………………………...  Fulgenta gen. nov. (Afrotropical only)

*In the Palearctic and Nearctic Earomyia are black bodied and Lamprolonchaea green/blue bodied,  in the Afrotropics the distinctions between these two genera require further clarification.

6. .  Male genitalia; surstylus with an organized row of prensisetae located either on the inner surface, on a basal plate or along ventral margin, otherwise inner surface bare of setae, ventral margin usually simple. Usually, but not always, with two setae on katepisternum and plumose arista. Fringes of calypteres with or without longer setulae. .................7

–  Male genitalia; surstylus without an organized row of prensisetae as above, inner surface always bearing setae or setulae, ventral margin often corrugated, extended or modified into spines or processes, usually, but not always, with one seta on the katepisternum and bare arista. Fringes of calyptrae usually of uniform length, if occasionally longer setulae are present these are not contrasting blackish.    ......... Lonchaea Fallén (dominant genus in Europe and Nearctic)

7. Fringes of calypteres with 5-12 longer black or dark brown setae at the fold. Posterior margin of anepisternum usually with a vertical row of 5-6  setae.  .( only in the Neotropics)  .................Neosilba McAlpine    species pages

– Fringes of calypteres without a cluster of longer setae, if these are present (S. fumosa) the longer setae are not entirely black or brown and the arista is bare. Posterior margin of anepisternum usually with a vertical row of 3-4 setae. (Afrotropical, Australasian, Palearctic and Asian species) ................Silba Macquart   (In Europe only 2 species)

†Note: Two South American species, Lonchaea pilifrons Hennig, 1948 and Lonchaea andina (Bigot, 1885) have a group of long black setae in the fringe of the calypteres but have an almost bare arista and only one strong seta on the katepisternum.




Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith