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Flies of Zihuatanejo

ORDER DIPTERA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Flies Order (Diptera)

-Brachyceran Flies (Suborder Brachycera)​

-Cyclorrhaphan Flies (Infraorder Cyclorrhapha)

-Schizophoran Flies (Zoosection Schizophora)

-Acalyptrate Flies (Zoosubsection Acalyptratae)

-Fruit, Signal, and Picture-winged Flies (Superfamily Tephritoidea)

-Picture-winged Flies (Family Ulidiidae)

-​Subfamily Ulidiinae

-​Tribe Lipsanini

-Genus Chaetopsis​


Banded-wing flies of the genus Chaetopsis are small to medium-sized flies in the family Ulidiidae (often called picture-winged flies), recognized for their strikingly patterned wings marked with dark bands, spots, or patches. Chaetopsis species are commonly found in warm, open environments such as grasslands, agricultural fields, and areas with decaying vegetation, where they are frequently seen resting on leaves or stems in sunny spots. Unlike predatory robber flies or parasitic bee flies, these flies are generally associated with decomposing plant material; their larvae develop in rotting vegetation, stems, or organic debris, where they help break down plant matter.

Chaetopsis Banded-wing Flies

Chaetopsis (Genus)

Description

  • Chaetopsis is a genus of picture-winged flies in the family Ulidiidae. Species are generally small to medium-sized flies with slender to moderately robust bodies, large eyes, and wings that commonly have distinctive dark spots, bands, or other patterns. Adults may have dark, greyish, or brownish bodies and are often recognised by their patterned wings and characteristic ulidiid appearance.

Range

  • Species of Chaetopsis occur mainly in the Americas, with many species distributed through tropical and subtropical regions from the southern United States through Mexico, Central America, and South America. Chaetopsis flies can be encountered in the Zihua area.

Habitat

  • Usually found in warm habitats with abundant vegetation, including tropical forest, forest edges, grasslands, agricultural areas, wetlands, and disturbed sites. Adults may rest on leaves and stems or move across vegetation, while larvae develop in plant material and other organic substrates.

Diet

  • Adults feed on plant-associated liquids and other organic resources, including nectar and plant exudates. Larvae are associated with plant material and may develop in decaying vegetation or within living plants, depending on the species.

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