Pyrgotidae is an unusual family of flies (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...

), one of only two families of Diptera that lack ocelli. Most species are "picture-winged", as is typical among Tephritoidea

Tephritoidea

The Tephritoidea are a superfamily of flies. The following families are included:* Lonchaeidae - lance flies* Pallopteridae - flutter flies* Piophilidae - skippers* Platystomatidae - signal flies* Pyrgotidae* Richardiidae* Tephritidae - fruit flies...

, but, unlike other tephritoids they are endoparasitoids; the females pursue scarab beetles

Scarabaeidae

The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...

 in flight, laying an egg on the beetle's back under the elytra where the beetle cannot reach it. The egg hatches and the fly larva enters the body cavity of the beetle, feeding and eventually killing the host before pupa

Pupa

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...

ting. In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, some species of Pyrgota and Sphecomyiella can be quite common in areas where their host beetles (typically the genus Phyllophaga

Phyllophaga (genus)

Phyllophaga is a very large genus of New World scarab beetles in the subfamily Melolonthinae. Common names for this genus and many other related genera in the subfamily Melolonthinae are May beetles, June bugs, and June beetles. They range in size from and are blackish or reddish-brown in colour,...

, or "June beetles") are abundant. Like their host beetles, these flies are primarily nocturnal, and are often attracted to artificial lights.

List of genera

• Acropyrgota
• Adapsila
• Adapsilia
• Adapsona
• Apyrgota
• Austromyia
• Boreothrinax
• Campylocera
• Cardiacera
• Carrerapyrgota
• Clemaxia
• Commoniella
• Descoleia
• Diasteneura
• Dicrostira
• Epicerella
• Eumorphomyia
• Eupyrgota
• Euthioza
• Facilina
• Frontalia
• Geloemyia
• Hendelpyrgota
• Hypotyphla
• Leptopyrgota
• Lochmostylia
• Lopadops
• Lygiohypotyphala
• Lygiohypotyphla
• Maenomenus
• Metropina
• Musgravena
• Neopyrgota
• Neotoxura
• Oxycephala
• Paradapsilia
• Parageloemyia
• Paratoxura
• Parepicerella
• Platynostira
• Plectrobrachis
• Porpedrum
• Porpomastix
• Prodalmannia
• Prohypotyphala
• Prohypotyphla
• Prosyrogaster
• Pyrgella
• Pyrgota
• Pyrgotina
• Pyrgotomyia
• Pyrgotosoma
• Ramuliseta
• Rhagostira
• Sinolochmostylia
• Siridapha
• Sphecomyiella
• Stirothrinax
• Taeniomastix
• Tauroscypson
• Teliophleps
• Tephritohypotyphla
• Tephritopygrota
• Tephritopyrgota
• Toxopyrgota
• Toxura
• Trichempodia
• Trichopeltia
• Tropidothrinax
• Tylotrypes