Rhagionidae

Common snipe fly ( Rhagio scolopaceus ) ♂

The snipe flies ( Rhagionidae ) are a family of two-winged flies (Diptera ) and assigned to the flies ( Brachycera ). Worldwide 500 species of medium-sized flies are known, of which about 35 in Germany. From the group of snipe fly in 1973 very similar members of the Ibisfliegen ( Athericidae ) have been moved to their own family.

Features

The flies are very slim and long-legged. Striking is the strong " trunk ", which serves food. The abdomen is marked yellow and dark in some of the more common species. The mouthparts are comparable to those of the brakes ( Tabanidae ) and very sharp.

Way of life

The snipe flies are mainly in forests and forest edges to find and often sit with splayed legs and a raised front body on tree trunks. In most cases, the head facing down, for example in Rhagio scolopacea. They feed mostly on small insects and probably also take honeydew and plant juices on. The species of the genus Symphoromyia suck blood in vertebrates, including humans. The females of some foreign species also feed exclusively on nectar.

Larval development

The snipe fly females lay their eggs in the rule individually on the ground, in dung or rotten wood. The larvae are elongate and have an incomplete head capsule and mouth hooks, which are formed from the mandibles and maxillae. The body is provided with weak Kriechwülsten. They live on and in the soil, among moss, leaf litter, in dung and under bark, feeding mostly on small insects. The larvae of Rhagio scolopaceus like to go to earthworms. You probably also feed on decaying plant and animal materials. The dolls of Schnepf flies live in the soil. Hibernation takes place mostly as a larva.

Fossil evidence

The oldest fossil evidence dates from the Jurassic formations in various places of Central Asia and China. Other Mesozoic documents go back to discoveries in Siberian amber. The vast majority of fossil snipe flies are known from Tertiary amber deposits, particularly those from the Eocene Baltic amber.