Halictophagidae Perkins 1905 : 98

Kathirithamby, Jeyaraney & Taylor, Steven J., 2005, A new species of Halictophagus (Insecta: Strepsiptera: Halictophagidae) from Texas, and a checklist of Strepsiptera from the United States and Canada, Zootaxa 1056, pp. 1-18 : 2

Family Halictophagidae Perkins 1905: 98

The family Halictophagidae was erected by Perkins (1905). Yang (1964) subdivided the family into two subfamilies: Halictophaginae and Tridactylophaginae. Kinzelbach (1970) erected a new subfamily Coriophaginae, and Kathirithamby (1989, 1992) added two more subfamilies, Dipterophaginae and Blattodeaphaginae. In 1985, Drew and Allwood erected a new family Dipterophagidae to incorporate the species Dipterophagus daci from Australia which parasitizes fruit flies ( Diptera : Tephritidae ). Kathirithamby (1989) argued that due to several synapormorphies shared with the family Halictophagidae that Dipterophagidae is a subfamily within this family. However, Drew and Allwood in 1996 re­elevated Dipterophagidae to family level on the basis that the male has 6 antennal segments with flabella on the 3rd segment and the female with a bell­shaped cephalothorax. However, male D. Daci have: 3­segmented tarsi which lack claws; short mandibles that do not overlap; short 2­segmented maxilla; peaked VIIIth abdominal sternite and a hooked aedeagus. Female D. daci have: the head extended over the thorax and a large brood canal. These male and female characters are shared autopomorphic characters of the family Halictophagidae . Therefore, D. daci belongs to the family Halictophagidae . Drew & Allwood (1985) and Allwood & Drew (1996) erection of this species to a new family is incorrect.

Only one subfamily Halictophaginae , and one genus Halictophagus , has been found Canada and the USA.