hybotid dance fly

Platypalpus is a genus of hybotid dance fly. It occurs worldwide. There are at least 580 described species of Platypalpus worldwide, more than 100 species in North America north of Mexico, 30 to 35 species in eastern United States, and at least 3 species in Minnesota. Some species are found in meadows, others in woodlands.

Adults use their strong middle legs holding prey.

Platypalpus is a common, predaceous, minute to small fly. With so many species and a diversity of characteristics having too many gradations they are difficult to identify beyond the genus level.

Adults are robust and 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (1.4 to 4.0 mm.) in length. Most species are black, some are brownish-yellow. Most have yellow legs. The third segment (femur) of the middle leg is enlarged and thickened, is covered below with small hairs or spines, and has a spur at the tip. The fourth segment (tibia) is shorter than the femur. The wings are clear. They do not have dark markings but are sometimes darkened near the base.

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30.

The superfamily Empidoidea was formerly placed in Orthorrhapha, one of two infraorders of Brachycera, a suborder of Diptera. However, Brachycera did not contain all of the descendants of the last common ancestor (paraphyletic). It was split into five extant (still existing) and one extinct infraorder. Orthorrhapha is now considered obsolete and has not been used in decades, but it persists in printed literature and on some online sources. A recent revision of the order Diptera (Pope, et al., 2011) revived the name Orthorrhapha, but this has not been widely accepted.

This genus has no common name. The common name of the family Hybotidae is hybotid dance flies and is used here for convenience.

Location: Woodbury, MN