A revision of the family Syringogastridae (Diptera: Diopsoidea) Author Marshall, S. A. Author Buck, M. Author Skevington, J. H. Author Grimaldi, D. text Zootaxa 2009 2009-02-04 1996 1 1 80 journal article 1175­5334 Monophyly of Syringogastridae The monophyly of this distinctive family has never been questioned, however it is here further established by the following suite of apomorphic characters (plesiomorphic states in parentheses): (1) frontal-orbital bristle absent (present); (2) inner vertical bristle absent (present); (3) arista bipectinate (short-pubescent); (4) ocellar triangle differentiated (absent); (5) postpronotum not delimited from mesoscutum posteromedially (delimited by suture); (6) precoxal bridge present (absent); (7) posterior notopleural bristle small and hair-like (large and bristle-like); (8) supra-alar bristle absent (present); (9) subscutellum transverse, virtually absent (moderately developed); (10) prespiracular processes present (absent); (11) laterotergite flat (convex); (12) metasternum fused posteromedially with postcoxal bridge (metasternum separate from postcoxal bridge posteromedially); (13) alula absent (present); (14) spiracle of first abdominal segment in tergite (in membrane); (15) tergites 2 and 3 fused (separate); (16) hypandrial arms with large, setulose ventral lobe (lobe very small ( Centrioncus ) or absent); (17) proximal opening of basiphallus greatly enlarged, its dorsal margin articulated with hypandrial bridge (proximal opening small, dorsal margin not articulated with hypandrium); (18) four spermathecae (three or two). Characters 5, 12, 16 and 17 were not previously recognised as synapomorphies of the family. Some characters appear convergently in other Diopsoidea as follows: (1): Diopsidae excluding Centrioncus , Megamerina , Gobryidae , some Psilidae ; (2): Centrioncus ; (3): Gobryidae , Nothybidae ; (4): Psilidae ; (6): many Diopsidae excluding Centrioncus , Gobryidae , Nothybidae ; (8): most Diopsidae excluding Centrioncus ; (9): most Psilidae ; (13): Diopsinae, Gobryidae , Nothybidae ; (15): some Diopsinae; (18): Cladodiopsis (Diopsidae) .