Platystoma is a genus of flies (Diptera) belonging to the family Platystomatidae.
Description
Platystoma species are small flies reaching a length of 4–10 millimeters. The body is black speckled with small whitish or yellowish markings, while the eyes are usually red. They have a quite broad proboscis (hence the Latin name Platystoma, meaning "broad mouth"). The wings are blackish with clear speckles. These flies show a complex mating ritual.
The genus is in need of revision to clarify the position of many subspecies that are currently listed. Most of these subspecies were designated by Hennig,[3] but some have been raised to full species since.[4][5] The list below incorporates those names more recently upgraded to species, but leaves the remainder of the subspecies designated by Hennig as subspecies until their position can be rectified by revision.
^Robineau-Desvoidy, André Jean Baptiste (1830). "Essai sur les myodaires". Mémoires presentés à L'Institut des Sciences, Lettres et Arts, par divers savants et lus dans ses assemblées: Sciences, Mathématiques et Physique. 2 (2): 1–813. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
^Hennig, W. 1945. [Chapter] 48. Platystomatidae. In: Lindner, E. ed, Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region, Vol. 5. Stuttgart, E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, pp.1-62.
^Soós, A. 1978. Taxonomische und faunistische untersuchungen über die Mongolischen Platystomatidae (Diptera). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae24(1-2): 187-203.
^Rivosecchi, L. 2000. Contribution to the knowledge of Italian species of genus Platystoma (Diptera, Platystomatidae). Fragmenta Entomologica32(1): 163-179.