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This is a new family for diptera.info.
In Europe there is just one genus (Cryptochetum) with 3 species (buccatum, grandicorne and jorgepastori).
These intersting little flies are endoparasites of Homoptera, Coccoidea.
The interesting part is that they look just like a genus in the Chalcidoid wasp family Pteromalidae (Scutellista), which exhibit the same biology!
Cryptochetidae have a large third antennal segment but no arista!
Greetings

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Cryptochetum sp., is there anybody who could tell me the species?

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Detail of the head and antenna,

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Where and when did you find it?

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Ah yes, the details, I?m sorry!
It has been caught last summer in Spain, and it?s a very small fly, smaller than 2 mm
Greetings

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In which place, please? I hope near Salamanca. :)

Great!

I also hope to find the extremely rare RICHACERIDAE. ;)

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Maybe you can find something useful in this spanish article - El inter?s biol?gico del g?nero Cryptochaetum Rond. Diptera, Cryptochaetidae y descripci?n de una nueva especie by Cadahia 1984.

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If someone is interested in C. grandicorne, here is an old 32 page article The Biology and Development of Cryptochaetum grandicorne (Diptera), an Internal Parasite of Guerinia serratulae (Coccidae) by Thorpe.

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thanks crex. Huelva.. hmm... I was there many times!
They have a fabulous Xiphias gladius with the fruit of Citrus lemon...... :D hmmmmmm....... (in general, in Spain the food is crap... but this is a very good dish!) :D

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This is jorgepastori. The little "tooth" at the end of the Antenna is characteristic for this species.

This species is described in this article: http://www.magrama.gob.es/ministerio/pags/Biblioteca/Revistas/pdf_plagas%2FBSVP-10-02-159-184.pdf.


¡Saludos! :)

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When you collect and small blackish flies (2 times less and more black than Phortica) persistently fly around your body and face - it is Cryptochetidae.

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The same desceription you refer to gives an illustration of the wing that has the second costal section maybe twice as long as the third, but it is miuch more in the pictures above. That would fit C. buccatum.

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Hello Paul,

So now I have 1 stupid question: the form and relative length of the third segment of the antennae are not reliable??


¡Saludos! |t

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I do not know since these antennae are rather unique for the family but I know such variation in wing venation is very uncommon, to say the least.

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Perfectly explained, Magister, as always!! |t

And my error with total clearness exposed. :D

Thanks!

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Possibly... ;)

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Probably! |t