Asteiidae is a small but widespread family of acalyptrate

Acalyptratae

Acalyptratae is a subsection of Schizophora, commonly referred to as the acalyptrate muscoids . It is a very large assemblage, exhibiting very diverse habits, with one notable and perhaps surprising exception; there are no known acalyptrates that are obligate blood-feeders , though this is a life...

 flies or Diptera

Diptera

Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...

. About 130 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 in 10 genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 have been described worldwide.They are rarely collected.

Family description

Adult asteiids are small (1-3 milimeter),thin-bodied, delicate flies.The wings are relatively long and transparent.
See http://delta-intkey.com/britin/dip/www/asteiida.htm

Biology

Adults have been collected at windows and tree wounds . Larval biologies are unknown, but adults have been reared from fungi, stalks of Cannabis sativa, flower buds, and dried reed stems. Sabrosky (1987) suggested that the larvae may be scavengers in the frass of other insects.

Species Lists

• Palaearctic
• Nearctic
• Japan One species

Identification (Literature)

Sabrosky, C.W.

Curtis Williams Sabrosky

Curtis Williams Sabrosky was an American entomologist. His wife, Laurel, preceded him in death. He had one son, Alan Ned Sabrosky. Dr. Sabrosky specialized in Diptera, especially Chloropidae....

, 1943. New genera and species of Asteiidae (Diptera), with a review of the family in the Americas. Annals of the Entomological Society of America: 36(3):501-514. Available online at the Core Historical Literature of Agriculture, Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University.

Sabrosky, C.W.

Curtis Williams Sabrosky

Curtis Williams Sabrosky was an American entomologist. His wife, Laurel, preceded him in death. He had one son, Alan Ned Sabrosky. Dr. Sabrosky specialized in Diptera, especially Chloropidae....

, 1956. Additions to the knowledge of Old World Asteiidae.Revue francaise d'entomologie (Nouvelle Serie) 23:216-243.