CONOPIDAE LATREILLE, 1802

Gibson, Joel F. & Skevington, Jeffrey H., 2013, Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of all genera of Conopidae (Diptera) based on morphological data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167 (1), pp. 43-81 : 61

CONOPIDAE LATREILLE, 1802

Type genus Conops Linnaeus, 1758: 604 . Included extant subfamilies: Conopinae , Dalmanniinae , Myopinae , Sicinae, Stylogastrinae , Zodioninae. Uncontroverted morphological autapomorphies: prementum fused into a tube (character 42); posterolateral extensions of the basisternum present (48); and M vein deflected to meet or end near vein R 4+5 (69). The pedicel is elongate in all members of Conopidae (28), but this character state is also observed in Pyrgotidae . The arista is thickened in all members of Conopidae (34), but has been secondarily reversed to the filiform state in Melanosoma . The prementum is longer than the width of the head in all members of Conopidae (43), but has been secondarily shortened in Myopa occulta , Abrachyglossum , Baruerizodion , Heteroconops , Leopoldius , Pseudomyopa , Tanyconops and all members of Pleurocerinellini . The labella are filiform and fused (45) in Conopidae , but have been reversed to a broad and separate state in Conopinae and Zodioninae . There is a prominent row of setae on the posterior surface of the mesofemur in Conopidae (54); this has been lost in Dacops + Physocephala + Pseudophysocephala . All members of Conopidae [except some Stylogaster – ( S. biannulta + S. stylata ) + ( S. frauci + S. pauliani + S. westwoodi + S. sp.)] are lacking bristles on the postpronotum (60). The petiole of vein CuA 2 + A 1 is longer than crossvein dm-cu (78) in all members of Conopidae ; this character has been reversed independently in three lineages: Callosiconops , Pleurocerina + Camrasiconops , and Conopinae excluding Neoconopini . Female abdominal tergite and sternite 6 are at least partially fused in all members of Conopidae (88); this fusion has been lost in Dalmanniinae . Gibson et al. (2012) note the complete fusion of tergite 6 and sternite 6 into a ring-like structure in all members of Stylogaster . In the present analysis, the partial fusion of tergite 6 and sternite 6 is recorded instead. The male epiproct is absent in all members of Conopidae (98); this state is also observed in Pyrgotidae .

Gibson et al. (2012) recover Conopidae as monophyletic with the same set of apomorphic character states as recovered in the present analysis. Latreille (1802) initially described Conopsariae, including Conops , Zodion , Myopa , and Stomoxys (now in Muscidae ), with the following characters: prementum elongate, cylindrical; labellum sometimes elongate, filiform, folded ventrally; maxillary palpi, when present, elongate; antennae sometimes longer than head; arista either apical or dorsal. According to the present analysis, the cylindrical prementum is apomorphic to Conopidae and the remaining characters describe various states across conopid subfamilies.

Schneider (2010) included Notoconops within Conopidae , as the type genus of the subfamily Notoconopinae , based on: the absence of a dorsal notch on the pedicel; a bare anepisternum; vein R 1 bare; the absence of vibrissae; absence of mid coxal prongs; costa lacking breaks; veins Sc and R 1 separate; cell cu p acute; vein A 1 complete. In the present analysis, none of these character states is found to be apomorphic to Conopidae . All mouthparts are completely absent in Notoconops . Although Schneider (2010) noted the presence of posterolateral extensions on the basisternum in her description of Notoconops , they were not present on the specimen available for the present research. Also, the eyes and frons of Notoconops are sexually dimorphic, a condition not observed in any members of Conopidae . Furthermore, Notoconops lacks all but one (78 – vein CuA 2 + A 1 elongate) of the apomorphic characters of Conopidae . For these reasons, Notoconops cannot be included in Conopidae . Its proper family classification is unknown and it should be left as incertae sedis within Schizophora pending further evidence of its proper placement.