Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 2, 2026

Microphorella

Microphorella is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It is currently considered both paraphyletic and polyphyletic, and several species groups may need to be recognised as subgenera or genera.

Last revised
Aug 2, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
718 w
Citations
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Wikipedia ↗
Microphorella
Microphorella vockerothi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Dolichopodidae
Subfamily: Parathalassiinae
Genus: Microphorella
Becker, 1909
Type species
Microphorus praecox
Loew, 1864

Microphorella is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It is currently considered both paraphyletic and polyphyletic, and several species groups may need to be recognised as subgenera or genera.1

Species

Species groups as defined by Cumming & Brooks (2019):1

  • Microphorella short R1 species group:
    • three undescribed species from western North America
    • †Microphorella fragilis Cumming & Greenwalt in Greenwalt et al., 20222 – Middle Eocene, Kishenehn Formation
  • Microphorella malaysiana species group:
    • Microphorella bira Shamshev & Grootaert, 20043 – Sulawesi
    • Microphorella malaysiana Shamshev & Grootaert, 20043 – Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia
    • Microphorella papuana Shamshev & Grootaert, 20043 – Papua New Guinea
    • Microphorella satunensis Shamshev & Grootaert, 20043 – Thailand
  • Microphorella irwini species group:
    • Microphorella irwini Brooks & Cumming, 20234 – South Africa (Western Cape Province)
  • Microphorella emiliae species group:
    • Microphorella emiliae Shamshev, 2004 – Far East Russia (Sakhalin and Kuril Islands)
  • Microphorella iota species group:
    • Microphorella iota Colless, 19645 – Australia (Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales)
  • Microphorella bungle species group:
    • Microphorella bungle Brooks & Cumming, 20226 – Australia: New South Wales (Warrumbungle National Park)
    • Microphorella viticula Brooks & Cumming, 20226 – Australia: New South Wales (Blue Mountains National Park)
  • Microphorella amorimi species group:
    • Microphorella amorimi Brooks & Cumming, 20234 – Chile (Maule Region)
  • Microphorella chillcotti species group:
    • Microphorella chillcotti Brooks & Cumming, 20127 – Canada (Alberta, British Columbia), United States (Washington)
    • Microphorella vockerothi Brooks & Cumming, 20127 – Canada (Yukon)
  • Microphorella curtipes species group:
    • Microphorella beckeri (Strobl, 1910) – Central Europe
    • Microphorella curtipes (Becker, 1910) – north Italy, Corsica, Sardinia
    • ?Microphorella ulrichi Gatt, 20038 – Tunisia, Morocco
  • Microphorella chiragra species group:
    • Microphorella chiragra Melander, 1927 – United States
    • Microphorella longitarsis Melander, 1927 – United States
    • Microphorella ornatipes Melander, 1927 – United States
    • 11 undescribed species from western North America
  • Microphorella acroptera species group:
    • Microphorella acroptera Melander, 1927 – United States
    • Microphorella tubifera Melander, 1927 – United States
    • nine undescribed species from western North America
  • Genus Microphorella s.str.:
    • Microphorella cassari Gatt, 20119 – Tunisia
    • Microphorella ebejeri Gatt, 201210 – Israel
    • Microphorella praecox (Loew, 1864) – Europe
    • Microphorella similis Brooks in Brooks & Ulrich, 201211 – Switzerland
    • Microphorella mamillata Gatt, 201210 – Tunisia

The Mediterranean species Microphorella merzi Gatt, 20038 is now classified in Eothalassius.1

References

References

  1. Cumming, J.M.; Brooks, S.E. (2019). "Phylogenetic analysis and preliminary classification of the Parathalassiinae (Diptera: Empidoidea: Dolichopodidae sensu lato)". Zootaxa. 4648 (1): 111–129. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4648.1.5.
  2. Greenwalt, D. E.; Amorim, D. S.; Hauser, M.; Kerr, P. H.; Fitzgerald, S. J.; Winterton, S. L.; Cumming, J. M.; Evenhuis, N. L.; Sinclair, B. J. (2022). "Diptera of the Middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation II". Palaeontologia Electronica. 25 (2): Article number 25.2.a22. doi:10.26879/1215.
  3. Shamshev, I.V.; Grootaert, P. (2004). "Descriptions of four new species of the genus Microphorella Becker (Diptera: Empidoidea, Microphoridae, Parathalassiini) from Southeast Asia and New Guinea, with notes on the relationships within the genus" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 52 (1): 45–58.
  4. Brooks, S.E.; Cumming, J.M. (2023). "The first Neotropical and Afrotropical species of Microphorella Becker, with a key to the genera of Parathalassiinae and species of Microphorella from the Southern Hemisphere (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato)". Zootaxa. 5301 (5): 581–593. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5301.5.5.
  5. Colless, D.H. (1964). "An Australian species of Microphorella (Diptera: Empididae), with notes on the phylogenetic significance of the genus". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 88: 320–323.
  6. Brooks, S.E.; Cumming, J.M. (2022). "New Australasian Parathalassiinae (Diptera: Dolichopodidae sensu lato)". Zootaxa. 5188 (6): 521–543. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5188.6.2.
  7. Brooks, S.E.; Cumming, J.M. (2012). "The Microphorella chillcotti species group: a distinctive lineage of parathalassiine flies from western North America (Diptera: Empidoidea: Dolichopodidae s.l.)". The Canadian Entomologist. 144 (1): 108–121. doi:10.4039/tce.2012.11.
  8. Gatt, P. (2003). "New species and records of Microphorella Becker (Diptera: Empidoidea, Dolichopodidae) from the Mediterranean region". Revue suisse de Zoologie. 110 (4): 669–684. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.80205.
  9. Gatt, P. (2011). "Microphorella cassari sp n., a new species of Microphorella Becker (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Tunisia". Revue suisse de Zoologie. 118 (3): 401–412. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.117814.
  10. Gatt, P. (2012). "Two new species of Microphorella Becker (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from the Mediterranean". Revue suisse de Zoologie. 119 (3): 287–302. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.150196.
  11. Brooks, S.E.; Ulrich, H. (2012). "Microphorella similis sp. nov. from Switzerland, a close relative of the type species, M. praecox (Loew) (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Parathalassiinae)". Zootaxa. 3489 (1): 45–57. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3489.1.3.