Lauxaniid Fly - Family Lauxaniidae

This page contains pictures and information about Lauxaniid Flies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.




The Lauxaniid Flies has two pair of fronto-orbital bristles and vibrissae absent. They are usually small to medium size, with clean or marked wings. They are often orange or at least partly orange in colour. Some of them have strongly marked patterned wings.



They like to rest in shaded forest or under vegetations. We usually found them in moist shady area, such as dense bushland near river and dry creek beds.

Their larvae are usually found on fallen leaves, rotting plant materials and fungi.

Lauxaniidae is one of the largest families in Acalyptrata flies group. We found quite a number of flies in this family and listed as follow;

Subfamily Homoneurinae

Treehopper Mimicking Fly

Cephaloconus tenebrosus, body length 6mm
Those pictures were taken at Macgregor bushland during mid summer. This fly looks like a Treehopper. It is hard to understand what is the advantage of mimicking a Treehopper. We thought of a reason and explained in this page.


Dotted-Wing Lauxaniid Fly

Homoneura sp., body length 6mm
This Dotted-Wing Lauxaniid Fly is quite common in Brisbane bushes and backyards. Please check this page for more pictures and information.

Black Lauxaniid Fly

Depressa albicosta, body length 6mm
On mid summer 2007 we found this Black Lauxaniid Fly resting on the board leaves plants a few times in our backyard in Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane. Please check this page for more images and information.


Long-antenna Lauxaniid Fly

Rhagadolyra magnicornis, body length 10mm
This Lauxaniid Fly is easily recognized by its long antenna. As most other Lauxaniid Flies, it is pale orange in colour with clean wings. There are the pale white strips on thorax and on eyes. Please also check this page for more information.

Sapromyza is a very large world-wide genus. Most of the orange colour species are put in this genus.

Orange Lauxaniid Fly I

Sapromyza sp., body length 6mm
Picture was taken in Yimba Park during early summer in evening. The fly was also found in a rainforest near Mt Nebo attracted by dropping on leaf. Please check this page for more information.


Orange Lauxaniid Fly II

? Sapromyza sp,, body length 6mm
We found this Lauxaniid Fly in Bayside on July 2008. Please check this page for more infromation.


Orange-blue Lauxaniid Fly I

Sapromyza sciomyzina, body length 6mm
This fly is easily found in the dense forest in Yugarapul Park. We recognized this fly by its black head. We have more pictures in this page.


Orange-blue Lauxaniid Fly II

Sapromyza occipitalis body length 6mm
We found this mating pair in Yugarapul Park during early summer on a Banksia tree. This fly looks like the above species except its head is orange in colour. Please click on here to check more detail information.

Reference:
1. Insects of Australia - CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p770.
2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p371.
3. Northern Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
4. On the Fly, The Interactive Atlas and Key to Australian Fly Families CD Rom - Hamilton, J. et al. 2006. Brisbane : CBIT & ABRS.
5. Lauxaniidae (Lauxaniid Flies) - Save Our Waterways Now, 2008.
6. Family LAUXANIIDAE - Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
7. Australian lauxaniid flies: revision of the Australian species of Homoneura van der Wulp, Trypetisoma Malloch, and allied genera (Diptera: Lauxaniidae) - Kim, S.P. 1994, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia : CSIRO.