Hybotid dance flies

Overview

Tachypeza is a genus of hybotid dance flies. It occurs in Europe and North America. There are 47 described Tachypeza species worldwide, at least 20 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 1 species in Minnesota.

Adults are often seen running up and down the trunks of trees, especially where the bark is smooth. The wings are tightly folded against the body, and If disturbed, they will run but rarely fly away.

Description

Tachypeza are common, predacious, moderate-sized flies. They are difficult to identify beyond the genus level.

The body is slender and black, usually with very few long hairs or bristles.

The head is higher than wide. The eyes are large and bare, and on both sexes they meet at the middle of the face below the antennae. The antennae have three segments and a long bristle (arista) at the tip of the outer segment. The tube-like mouthpart (proboscis) is slender, straight, and vertical.

The thorax is flat, oblong, and tapered to the rear. The upper surface is densely covered with short, soft, woolly hairs (tomentose). The sides of the thorax may be shiny or dusted (pollinose).

The abdomen has eight segments. In the female, there are two slender sensory appendages (cerci) at the tip.

On the front legs, the first segment (coxa) is rather large and the third segment (femur) is swollen. On the middle legs, the femur has a bristle at the base. The hind legs are long and slender.

The wings are slender and long. All of the veins appear to extend unbranched to the wing margin.

Distribution

Sources

27, 30, 82, 83.

Tachypeza Meigen, 1830 in Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Abreu, C., Acero P, A., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (2026-07-17 XR). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgykv