Taxa overview

The Apioceridae comprises the single genus Apiocera Westwood, 1835 with 4 subgenera and 138 species from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Mexico, South Africa, & the USA.

The Mydidae comprises 66 genera in 11 subfamily taxa and 461 species world-wide, which are primarily found in desert or semi-desert environments although quite a few species do also occur in rain-forests. The Afrotropical Region is with 199 species the most speciose region and particularly rich is southern Africa (178 species occur in Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, & Zimbabwe). Australia has 43 species while the Nearctic Region harbours 94 species. The Neotropical Region, which shares a few species with North America, is inhabited by 73 Mydidae species. The Palaearctic Region hosts 51 species (a few being shared with the Afrotropical Region) and very few, namely only 10 species, are known from the Oriental Region. Six species are currently assigned as incertae sedis including the oldest fossil Cretomydas santanensis Willkommen & Grimaldi, 2007 described from the Santana Formation of Brazil.

Table summarising geographical distribution of genera of Apioceridae and subfamily taxa of Mydidae.
Taxon Genera Species Afr Aus Nea Neo Ori Pal
Apioceridae: Apiocera (Anypenus) 4 X
Apioceridae: Apiocera (Apiocera) 67 X
Apioceridae: Apiocera (Pyrocera) 64 X
Apioceridae: Apiocera (Ripidosyrma) 3 X
Mydidae: Anomalomydinae 1 2 X
Mydidae: Apiophorinae 5 29 X X
Mydidae: Cacatuopyginae 2 6 X
Mydidae: Diochlistinae 2 20 X X
Mydidae: Ectyphinae 4 11 X X
Mydidae: Leptomydinae 6 45 X X X X
Mydidae: Megascelinae 3 14 X X X
Mydidae: Mydinae 12 84 X X
Mydidae: Rhaphiomidinae 1 22 X
Mydidae: Rhopaliinae 4 21 X X X
Mydidae: Syllegomydinae 25 201 X X
Mydidae: unplaced species 6 X X X

Afr = Afrotropical; Aus = Australasian; Nea = Nearctic; Neo = Neotropical; Ori = Oriental; Pal = Palaearctic zoogeographical Region.