Forcipomyia

Genus of flies From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Forcipomyia is a genus of biting midges in the subfamily Forcipomyiinae. Species of the subgenus Lasiohelea suck vertebrate blood. Some species are ectoparasites on larger insects. Other species in the genus are important pollinators of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao).^[1] There are at least 1,000 described species in Forcipomyia.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Phylum:Arthropoda

Class:Insecta

Order:Diptera

Family:Ceratopogonidae

Quick facts Scientific classification, Subgenera ...

Forcipomyia

A Forcipomyia sp. sucks hemolymph from Nemophora metallica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Diptera
Family:	Ceratopogonidae
Subfamily:	Forcipomyiinae
Genus:	Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818
Subgenera
See text

It is often repeated that a species of Forcipomyia has the highest recorded wing-beat frequency at 1046 Hz, citing a paper by Finnish entomologist Olavi Sotavalta published in 1953.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9] The actual wing-beat frequency given for an unmanipulated individual in Sotavalta's 1953 paper is 800–950 Hz,^[10] and the figure of 1046 Hz instead appears in Sotavalta's 1947 PhD thesis.^[11] Sotavalta was able to induce a wing-beat frequency as high as 2218 Hz by clipping the midge's wings close to the base and heating it to 37° C, shortly after which the midge died.^[12]

Subgenera

Forcipomyia (Baliohelea) Yu & Liu, 2005^[13]
Forcipomyia (Bassoforcipomyia) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Blantonia) Wirth & Dow, 1971^[15]
Forcipomyia (Caloforcipomyia) Saunders, 1957^[16]
Forcipomyia (Collessohelea) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Dycea) Debenham, 1987^[17]
Forcipomyia (Euprojoannisia) Saunders, 1957^[16]
Forcipomyia (Forcipohelea)
Forcipomyia (Forcipomyia)
Forcipomyia (Gampsohelea) Yu & Liu, 2005^[13]
Forcipomyia (Herakleohelea) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Ixodehelea) Yu & Liu, 2005^[13]
Forcipomyia (Japygahelea) Yu & Liu, 2005^[13]
Forcipomyia (Kattangomyia) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Lasiohelea)
Forcipomyia (Lepidohelea)
Forcipomyia (Microhelea)
Forcipomyia (Nicothohelea)
Forcipomyia (Oreinohelea) Yu & Liu, 2005^[13]
Forcipomyia (Panhelea)
Forcipomyia (Pedilohelea)
Forcipomyia (Phytohelea)
Forcipomyia (Pterobosca)
Forcipomyia (Rhinohelea)
Forcipomyia (Rhynchoforcipomyia)
Forcipomyia (Schineromyia) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Schizoforcipomyia)
Forcipomyia (Synthyridomyia) Saunders, 1957^[16]
Forcipomyia (Thyridomyia)
Forcipomyia (Trichohelea)
Forcipomyia (Trithicomyia)
Forcipomyia (Typhonomyia) Debenham, 1987^[14]
Forcipomyia (Warmkea) Saunders, 1957^[16]

References

[1]
Kaufmann, T. (June 1975). "Studies on the ecology and biology of a cocoa pollinator, Forcipomyia squamipennis I. & M. (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae), in Ghana". Bulletin of Entomological Research. 65 (2): 263–268. doi:10.1017/S0007485300005940.
[2]
"Forcipomyia Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
[3]
"Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
[4]
"Forcipomyia Overview". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2018-02-27.
[5]
"Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
[6]
Scherer, C.W. (May 8, 1995). "Chapter 9: Fastest Wing Beat". University of Florida Book of Insect Records.
[7]
Bell, James R.; Shephard, Graham (February 2025). "How aphids fly: Take-off, free flight and implications for short and long distance migration". Agricultural and Forest Entomology. 27 (1): 91–92. doi:10.1111/afe.12623 – via Wiley.
[8]
Hedenström, Anders (March 2014). "How Insect Flight Steering Muscles Work". PLOS Biology. 12 (3) e1001822. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001822. PMC 3965378. PMID 24667632.
[9]
Yorulmaz, Atif (May 1, 2018). "Insects at the Extremes". The Fountain.
[10]
Sotavalta, Olavi (June 1953). "Recordings of High Wing-Stroke and Thoracic Vibration Frequency in Some Midges". Biological Bulletin. 104 (3): 442. doi:10.2307/1538496. JSTOR 1538496.
[11]
Sotavalta, Olavi (1947). "The Flight-Tone (Wing-Stroke Frequency) of Insects". Acta Entomologica Fennica. 4: 21, 102.
[12]
Sotavalta, Olavi (June 1953). "Recordings of High Wing-Stroke and Thoracic Vibration Frequency in Some Midges". Biological Bulletin. 104 (3): 442–443. doi:10.2307/1538496. JSTOR 1538496.
[13]
Yu, Y.X.; Liu, J.H.; Liu, G.P.; Liu, Z.J.; Hao, B.S.; Yan, G.; Zhao, T.S. Ceratopogonidae of China, Insecta, Diptera. 2 vols (in Chinese). Beijing: Military Medical Science Press. pp. viii +1699 pp.
[14]
Debenham, M.L. (1987). "The biting midge genus Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the Australasian Region (exclusive of New Zealand) II. Warmkea and the Caloforcipomyia group of subgenera". Invertebrate Taxonomy. 1 (2): 167–199. doi:10.1071/IT9870167.
[15]
Wirth, W.W.; Dow, M. I. (1971). "Studies on the genus Forcipomyia III. Blantonia, a new subgenus in the Trichohelea complex (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)". Florida Entomologist. 54 (4): 289–295. doi:10.2307/3493588. JSTOR 3493588.
[16]
Saunders, L. G. (1956) [1957]. "Revision of the genus Forcipomyia based on characters of all stages (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae)". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 34 (6): 657–705. doi:10.1139/z56-065.
[17]
Debenham, Margaret L. (1987). "The biting midge genus Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the Australasian Region (exclusive of New Zealand) IV: The subgenera allied to Forcipomyia, s.s., and Lepidohelea and the interrelationships and biogeography of the subgenera of Forcipomyia" (PDF). Invertebrate Taxonomy. 1 (6): 631–684. doi:10.1071/IT9870631.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2016)

Borkent, A. 2011: World species of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).
Chen, H.; Liu, Y.; Yu, Y. 2012: Two new biting midges of the subfamily Forcipomyiinae Lenz (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from China. Zootaxa 3582: 33–36.
Debenham, M.L. 1987: The biting midge genus Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the Australasian region (exclusive of New Zealand). I. Introduction, key to subgenera, and the Thyridomyia and Trichohelea groups of subgenera. Invertebrate taxonomy, 1(1): 35-119. doi:10.1071/IT9870035
Debenham, M.L. 1987: The biting midge genus Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the Australasian region (exclusive of New Zealand). III. The subgenera Forcipomyia, s.s., and Lepidohelea. Invertebrate taxonomy, 1(3): 269-350. doi:10.1071/IT9870269
Johannsen, O.A., 1950: A New Pterobosca from Florida with a Key to American Species. Florida Entomologist, 33 (4): 141-144.
Liu, Y-q.; Chen, H-y.; Yu, Y-x. 2009: A key of Forciomyia [Forcipomyia] (Synthyridomyia) with discription [description] of a new species from China (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Sichuan journal of zoology, 28(4): 521-523.
Liu, J.-H.; Yan, G.; Liu, G.-P.; Hao, B.-S.; Liu, Z.-J.; Yu, Y.-X. 2001: Forcipomyiinae of China (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) II. The genus Forcipomyia Meigen. Fauna of China, 3: 1-256. ISBN 1-930666-04-7
Marino, P.I.; Spinelli, G.R. 2008: Biting midges of the Forcipomyia (Forcipomyia) argenteola group in southern South America, with description of a new species and a key to the Neotropical species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). International journal of tropical biology and conservation, 56(2): 789-794.
Meigen, J. 1818. Systematische Beschreibung der bekannten europäischen zweiflügeligen Insekten 1, v-xii, xxxvi + 1-332. Friedrich Wilhelm Forstmann, Aachen.
Saha, P.K.; Kumar Dasgupta, S.; Gangopadhyay, D.; Mukherjee, T.K. 2009: A morphotaxonomic study of the Indian species of Forcipomyia Meigen biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Records of the Zoological Survey of India occasional paper, (299) ISBN 8181712269 ISBN 9788181712264
Sun, H.; Ke, M.-J.; Li, S.-X.; Li, L.-Y.; Yu, Y.-x. 2009: Biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Zhuhai, China. New species and new record of the genus Forcipomyia Miegen. Acta Parasitology et Medica Entomologica Sinica, 16(2): 104-106. ISSN 1005-0507
Szadziewski, R., 1988: Biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from Baltic amber. Polskie pismo entomologiczne, 58(1): 3-283.
Szadziewski, R., 1990: Biting midges (Insecta: Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Sakhalin amber. Prace Muzeum Ziemi, 41: 77-81.
Szadziewski, R., 1993: Biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) from Miocene Saxonian amber. Acta zoologica cracoviensia, 35(3): 603-656.
Szadziewski, R. & Sonntag, E., 2013: A new species of Forcipomyia from Paleocene Sakhalin amber (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae). Polish Journal of Entomology, 82 (1): 59-62, doi:10.2478/v10200-012-0023-x
Yu, Y. et al. 2005: Ceratopogonidae of China: Insecta, Diptera. Volume I. Military Medical Science Press, Beijing.
Yu, Y.-x.; Song, F.-C. 2008: A new subgenus, two new species of Forcipomyia from China (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae). Acta zootaxonomica sinica, 33(4): 793-795.

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Forcipomyia

Subgenera

See also

References

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