Overview
Neriid adults frequent low vegetation and tree trunks, sometimes in gardens. The larvae live in rotting vegetation, including fallen fruit. Those of
Telostylinus
angusticollis
(Enderlein) often live in decaying stems of cut bananas.
Description
The main diagnostic features include:
Head elongate; ocellar bristle and vibrissa absent; pedicel of antenna with terminal finger-like process on inner side; arista terminal on first flagellomere; all legs very long; mid tibia with apical ventral spur; in male, pregenital lobes of sternite 5 absent; genital segment very elongate; in female, segment 7 (ovipositor sheath) very long.
Distribution
The family has a mainly tropical distribution. Only two species in the genus
Telostylinus
(synonym
Derocephalus
) live in Australia.