Genus Phthiria Meigen

Phthiria Meigen, 1803: 268 . Type species: Bombylius pulicarius Mikan, 1796, by monotypy. Ptimia Rafinesque, 1815: 221 (unjustified emendation of Phthiria Meigen, 1820). Type species: Bombylius pulicarius Mikan, 1796, automatic.

Diagnosis. Phthiria is the only representative of the subfamily Phthiriinae in the Palaearctic Region. This subfamily is closely related to the Usiinae but easily separated from it by an apical sulcus bearing a style, presence of dorsal and/or ventral processes on first flagellomere, presence of M2 cell on the wing (four posterior cells) and absence of lateral papillae on the sperm pump (Evenhuis, 1990; Greathead & Evenhuis, 2001).