Overview
Athericidae is a cosmopolitan family, recently excised from the Rhagionidae (Stuckenberg 1973), and probably more closely related to Tabanidae. Worldwide there are eight extant genera of Athericidae and in Australia the family consists of 12 known species (11 described) in two genera,
Dasyomma
and
Suragina
.
The females of some non-Australian species suck blood, but the Australian species have not been recorded attacking humans. Larvae are aquatic predators, and have crochet-tipped prolegs on each of the eight abdominal segments.
Description
These are small, compact flies resembling small Tabanidae. The antennae of Australian species have a flagellum of two elements, the apical one being long, thin and aristate. The wings are hyaline or spotted, and the Australian
Suragina
has a bold wing pattern of brown markings. Tibiae with one or two spurs. Eyes hairy in
Dasyomma
, bare in
Suragina
.
Distribution
Dasyomma
is found in the forests of the south-east including Tasmania, and there is an undescribed species of Suragina in the rainforests of the wet tropics in Queensland.