Taxonomy
Male Milichia patrizii specimen (photographed by Irina Brake)
Appearance of Milichia patrizii flies:
- Small, 3mm long
- Mainly brown head and thorax
- Silvery abdomen in males
- 2 wings, each with a characteristic black flap at the anterior margin
Diagnostic description
- Frons brown microtomentose except for grey microtomentose anterolateral corner
- Basoflagellomere with ventral angle
- Palpus and proboscis specialised
- Wing with a black flap at subcostal break
- Hind tibia with sharp anterodorsal ridge
- Male tergite 2-5 silvery microtomentose except for anterior margin of tergite 2
Evolution
Milichia patrizii belongs to the freeloader flies (Diptera: Milichiidae) and is part of the myrmecophila-group of the genus Milichia (Brake 1999) which is characterised by:
- a black flap at the subcostal break of the wing
- a hind tibia with a sharp anterodorsal ridge
- a posterior scutellar seta which is directed upwards
Milichia is the oldest genus name in the family and therefore gave rise to the family name - Milichiidae.
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