Stylogasterinae (Smith, 1979)

Published, First, 2010, A taxonomic revision of Australian Conopidae (Insecta: Diptera) 2581, Zootaxa 2581, pp. 1-246 : 29

4.4 Stylogasterinae

4.4.1 Introduction

The taxonomic status of the Stylogasterinae has been a matter of some uncertainty because in general appearance and behaviour they are distinctive from other Conopidae . Some authors have insisted that the taxon represents a separate family (e.g. Rohdendorf 1964) but currently it is generally accepted as a subfamily of Conopidae . Studies of the prosternum of representatives of all conopid subfamilies by Speight (1969) found the greatest difference between Conopinae and the other three subfamilies. He commented that the degree of similarity between the prosternal shape of Myopinae , Dalmanniinae and Stylogasterinae suggests a good monophyletic group and that the character does not support family status for Stylogasterinae . Five autapomorphies for the Conopidae were listed by J. McAlpine (1989); Stylogasterinae possess all five. Stylogasterines are surprisingly uniform in their external morphology and only one genus is recognised despite the subfamily’s distribution in all zoogeographic regions except the Palaearctic.