Investigation of the families Asteiidae, Lauxaniidae, Mydidae, and Neriidae (Insecta: Diptera)

Abstract

Adults of the Asteiidae family can be captured with Malaise traps set within the forest, but the best way to obtain specimens is when they are found congregating. At these sites, one can easily capture the adults with a vacuum cleaner. The larvae may be scavengers on the excrement of other insects. Adult Lauxiniidae are sedentary and like shaded places. They can be found in a wide variety of environments such as grasses, flowers, compost capitula, and low foliage, mainly in humid forests near streams and swamps. It was observed that they are more active at the end of the afternoon and, therefore, are easier to collect during this period. Many adults are scraper fungi found on leaves. Larvae in this family are primarily saprophagous, commonly found in fallen leaves, rotting wood or straw, decaying vegetation, and bird nests. Mydidae is a relatively small group of Asiloidea (Diptera) that comprises the largest flies in the world, and little is known about the nature of adults; males visit flowers occasionally, and females are unlikely to feed. The Mydidae constitute a family of orthorrhaph flies, which includes the largest known dipterans. Larvae of several species of Mydidae feed on immatures of Coleoptera and can be found in nests of _Atta _spp., and _Acromyrmex _spp. ants. All other Neriidae probably feed on other decaying plant organic tissues, such as plant resins and fruit secretions, and more rarely on animal manure and organic matter. Some species of _Glyphidops _Enderlein, Sepúlveda et al. (2014) and _Nerius_ Fabricius, 1805 were observed on freshly felled trunks and branches, in galleries of wood saw beetles (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), while others may be associated with human crops, such as squash, cotton, banana, gourd, and papaya. Some species have high rates of synanthropy, being attracted by cooking odors and becoming common inside homes. Some species are used for behavioral and sexual selection studies. The mini-review aims to verify the themes of the Asteiidae, Lauxiniidae, Mydidae, and Neriidae families such as morphology, biology, and systematics. In terms of the type of research source, we worked with scientific articles published in national and international journals. This modality of production, in addition to being commonly the most valued in the set of bibliographic production, is the most easily accessed. Access to articles was through virtual libraries such as SciELO, ResearchGate, and Hall. Considering only this section constitutes a limitation of the study since articles belonging to journals that integrate other sections of the aforementioned electronic library could also contribute to the discussion of knowledge production and the writing of interpretative syntheses of each theme.