Ephydroidea

McAlpine, David, 2011, Observations on Antennal Morphology in Diptera, with Particular Reference to the Articular Surfaces between Segments 2 and 3 in the Cyclorrhapha, Records of the Australian Museum 63 (2), pp. 113-166 : 139-140

The Ephydroidea

The following families of this superfamily are discussed below: Campichoetidae , Diastatidae , Curtonotidae , Drosophilidae , Ephydridae .

Some features and variation in the ephydroid antenna have been previously described, e.g., by Hennig (1971), and, in more detail, by Grimaldi (1990). Features common to all families include the great dorsal development of the pedicellar rim to form a pair of lobes separated by a narrow dorsal cleft (seam or slit), the adjacent margins of the two lobes usually appressed so that the cleft may not be obvious at low magnification, and the very asymmetrical conus. Typical caesti (separate from the annular ridge) are absent. The distal articular surface is particularly concave on its dorsolateral quarter ( Fig. 73 ), or may abruptly give way to a deep cup containing the button and the sometimes much reduced conus ( Fig. 80 ). Several taxa show evidence of abrasive action using the dorsomedial surface of segment 2 (see p. 163).

Some of the apomorphies listed by J. McAlpine (1989: 1486) appear not to indicate accurately the groundplan condition for the superfamily, or are present in possible outgroups.

Figures

Figures 73–75. Antennae of Diastatidae and Campichoetidae. (73) Left antennal seg. 2 of Diastata fuscula (Fallén) (fam. Diastatidae), lateral view, seg. 3 removed. (74) Campichoeta punctum (Meigen) (fam. Campichoetidae), lateral view of seg. 2, seg. 3 removed. (75) The same, medial view of seg. 3. bf, basal foramen; bh, basal hollow; bu, pedicellar button; sc, sacculus.

Figures 79–83. Antennae of Drosophilidae. (79) Leucophenga scutellata Malloch, distal articular surface of seg. 2. (80) Drosophila immigrans Sturtevant, the same. (81) Tambourella endiandrae Wheeler, contents of pedicellar cup. (82) L. scutellata, left seg. 3, medial view. (83) T. endiandrae, the same. ar, annular ridge of seg. 3; bh, basal hollow; bs, basal stem; c, conus; d, disc of seg. 3; pc, pedicellar cleft; sbc, sub-basal caecum; sc, sacculus.