PBDB Taxon

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Morphology	Ecology and taphonomy	External Literature Search	Age range and collections

Hesperininae

Insecta - Diptera - Bibionidae

Taxonomy

Hesperinidae was named by Walker (1848). It is extant. Its type is Hesperinus.

It was reranked as the subfamily Hesperininae by Skartveit and Ansorge (2020), Skartveit and Wedmann (2021), Skartveit et al. (2025).

It was assigned to Culicoidea by Hong (2002); to Bibionoidea by Skartveit (2009); and to Bibionidae by Skartveit and Ansorge (2020), Skartveit and Wedmann (2021), Skartveit et al. (2025).

Subtaxa

Hesperinus (type genus), Longicornia, Penthetria (syn. Bibiopsis, Protomyia, Mycetophaetus)

Synonyms

Longicornia was named by Hong (2002).

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hong (2002), Hong (2002).
Longicornia tenuis was named by Hong (2002). It is an inclusion in amber. Its type locality is Xilutian coal mine, Fushun amber (post-1980 collection), which is in a Ypresian terrestrial amber in China.

It was considered a nomen nudum by Hong (2002), Hong (2002).
Penthetriidae was named by Rohdendorf (1946).

It was reranked as the subfamily Penthetriinae by Nel et al. (2019); it was synonymized subjectively with Hesperininae by Skartveit and Wedmann (2021).

It was assigned to Bibionoidea by Hong and Wang (1985); and to Bibionidae by Nel et al. (2019).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1848	Hesperinidae Walker
1946	Penthetriidae Rohdendorf
1985	Penthetriidae Hong and Wang pp. 17-18
2002	Hesperinidae Hong p. 161
2002	Longicornia Hong p. 161
2002	Longicornia tenuis Hong p. 162 figs. Pl 12, fig 1; text-fig 2.7.23-31
2009	Hesperinidae Skartveit
2019	Penthetriinae Nel et al. p. 535
2020	Hesperininae Skartveit and Ansorge p. 169
2021	Hesperininae Skartveit and Wedmann p. 12
2025	Hesperininae Skartveit et al. p. 57

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Protostomia
—	Ecdysozoa	Aguinaldo et al. 1997
—	Panarthropoda
phylum	Arthropoda	Latreille 1829
—	Deuteropoda
—	Mandibulata
—	Pancrustacea	Zrzavý and Štys 1997
—	Altocrustacea	Regier et al. 2010
superclass	Allotriocarida
—	Athalassocarida
—	Labiocarida	Schwentner et al. 2017
superclass	Hexapoda	Latreille 1825
—	Cercofilata
class	Insecta

Rank	Name	Author
—	Dicondylia
—	Paranotalia
subclass	Pterygota	()
—	Neopterygota	Crampton 1924
infraclass	Neoptera	Martynov 1923
—	Holometabola
—	Aparaglossata
—	Panorpida
superorder	Antliophora
order	Diptera
—	Neodiptera	Michelsen 1994
infraorder	Bibionomorpha
superfamily	Bibionoidea
family	Bibionidae
subfamily	Hesperininae	(Walker 1848)
subfamily	Hesperininae	(Walker 1848)

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Subfm. Hesperininae Walker 1848

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G. Hesperinus Walker 1848

†Hesperinus electrus Skartveit 2009

†Hesperinus heeri von Heyden and von Heyden 1865

Invalid names: Penthetria rottensis Statz 1943 [synonym], Penthetria scita Statz 1943 [synonym], Plecia elegantula Meunier 1915 [synonym]

†Hesperinus hyalopterus Skartveit 2009

†Hesperinus macroculatus Skartveit 2009

G. Penthetria Meigen 1803

†Penthetria abacula Lewis 1971

†Penthetria aestimata Statz 1943

†Penthetria alderensis Lewis 1971

†Penthetria amoena Heer 1849

Invalid names: Protomyia speciosa Heer 1864 [synonym]

†Penthetria anthracina Heer 1849

†Penthetria beskonakensis Skartveit and Nel 2012

†Penthetria blanchardi Oustalet 1870

†Penthetria bohemica Novák 1878

†Penthetria brevicollis Heer 1849

†Penthetria carbonum von Heyden and von Heyden 1865

†Penthetria cimicoides Heer 1849

†Penthetria claripennis Theobald 1937

Invalid names: Plecia difficilis Theobald 1937 [synonym], Plecia graciosa Theobald 1937 [synonym], Plecia varia Theobald 1937 [synonym], Plecia variegata Theobald 1937 [synonym]

†Penthetria creedensis James 1938

†Penthetria egerana Novák 1878

†Penthetria elongatipennis Theobald 1937

Invalid names: Bibio maceratus Theobald 1937 [synonym]

†Penthetria fryi Rice 1959

†Penthetria fuchsi Handlirsch 1907

Invalid names: Penthetria marinosi Bachmayer et al. 1971 [objective synonym]

†Penthetria gigantea Theobald 1937

Invalid names: Plecia crassiventris Theobald 1937 [synonym], Plecia luteipennis Theobald 1937 [synonym], Plecia miegi Theobald 1937 [synonym]

†Penthetria globularis Oustalet 1870

†Penthetria gracilis Unger 1841

†Penthetria graciliventris Theobald 1937

†Penthetria immutabilis Melander 1949

†Penthetria imperialis Novák 1878

†Penthetria incerta Oustalet 1870

†Penthetria integroneura Skartveit 2009

†Penthetria intermedia Scudder 1892

†Penthetria longa Heer 1849

†Penthetria longifurca Melander 1949

†Penthetria longiventris Theobald 1937

Invalid names: Plecia superba Theobald 1937 [synonym]

†Penthetria luberonica Skartveit and Nel 2017

†Penthetria lugens Oustalet 1870

†Penthetria montanaregis Skartveit 2009

†Penthetria murchisonii Unger 1841

†Penthetria nervisinuata Theobald 1937

†Penthetria nigra Statz 1943

†Penthetria parschlugiana Heer 1849

†Penthetria rubescens Oustalet 1870

†Penthetria rubiensis Lewis 1971

†Penthetria subterranea Theobald 1937

†Penthetria togoensis Fujiyama and Iwao 1974

†Penthetria tropica Statz 1943

Penthetria velutina Loew 1858

†Penthetria whipsawensis Rice 1959

Invalid names: Bibio alacris Oustalet 1870 [nomen dubium], Bibio gigas Oustalet 1870 [nomen dubium], Bibio macer Oustalet 1870 [nomen dubium], Bibio minor Oustalet 1870 [nomen dubium], Bibiopsis Heer 1849 [synonym], Mycetophaetus Scudder 1892 [synonym], Protomyia Heer 1849 [synonym]

Invalid names: Longicornia Hong 2002 [nomen nudum], Penthetriinae Rohdendorf 1946 [synonym]

Diagnosis

No diagnoses are available

Measurements

No measurements are available

Composition:

chitinc

Environment:

terrestrialc

Locomotion:

actively mobilep

Created:

2017-04-17 09:56:18

Modified:

2017-04-17 09:56:18

Source: c = class, p = phylum

References: Kiessling 2004, Bush and Bambach 2015

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Ypresian to the top of the Piacenzian or 56.00000 to 2.58000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 48.07 Ma

Collections (59 total)

Time interval	Ma	Country or state	Original ID and collection number
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	China (Liaoning)	Longicornia tenuis (124820)
Ypresian	56.0 - 48.07	Canada (British Columbia)	Penthetria fryi (120934 120940 120943) Penthetria fryi, Plecia intermedia (120981) Penthetria whipsawensis (120624)
Late/Upper Eocene	37.71 - 33.9	France (Gard)	Plecia longiventris (122406)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	United Kingdom (England)	Penthetria sp. (123960)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	Russian Federation	Penthetria sp., Hesperinus electrus, Hesperinus hyalopterus, Hesperinus macroculatus, Penthetria integroneura (123419)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	Russian Federation (Kaliningrad)	Penthetria montanaregis (123420 124517 217198)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	France (Gard)	Penthetria longiventris, Penthetria graciliventris (144529)
Priabonian	37.71 - 33.9	France	Plecia longiventris, Plecia superba, Plecia longa, Plecia graciliventris, Bibio elongatipennis, Bibio macerata, Plecia varia (113709)
Chadronian	37.0 - 33.9	USA (Colorado)	Hesperinus immutabilis, Penthetria longifurca (124624) Mycetophaetus intermedius (106384)
MP 23	33.9 - 27.3	France	Penthetria nervisinuata (157327) Plecia lugens, Plecia nervisinuata (122536)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	France (Auvergne)	Bibio gigas (152487) Bibio gigas, Protomyia globularis (152488) Bibio gigas, Protomyia incerta (152491) Protomyia longa, Protomyia lugens, Bibio macer, Bibio alacris, Bibio minor, Protomyia blanchardi, Protomyia rubescens, Protomyia incerta (127630)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	France (Alpes-de-Haute)	Hesperinus sp. (164936)
Rupelian	33.9 - 27.3	Germany	Plecia gigantea, Plecia crassiventris, Plecia lugens, Plecia claripennis, Plecia miegi, Plecia luteipennis, Plecia subterranea, Plecia variegata, Plecia varia, Plecia difficilis, Plecia graciosa (122407)
Whitneyan	31.8 - 29.5	USA (Montana)	Hesperinus sp., Penthetria sp. (120623) Penthetria rubiensis, Penthetria abacula, Penthetria alderensis (120622)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	France (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)	Plecia lugens, Plecia nervisinuata (122488)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	France	Penthetria luberonica (183981)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	France (Bouches-Du-Rhone)	Penthetria nervisinuata (122876) Penthetria subterranea (113712) Plecia lugens, Penthetria nervisinuata (122501) Plecia lugens, Plecia nervisinuata (138838)
Chattian	27.3 - 23.04	Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia)	Penthetria sp., Penthetria sp 2, Penthetria nigra, Penthetria tropica, Penthetria aestimata, Penthetria rottensis, Penthetria scita, Penthetria sp 1, Plecia sp. 8 (122010)
Late/Upper Oligocene	27.3 - 23.04	USA (Colorado)	Plecia creedensis (117882 121977)
MP 28	27.3 - 23.04	Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz)	Penthetria nigra (71942)
MP 30	27.3 - 23.04	Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen)	Protomyia elegantula, Plecia carbonum (138696)
MP 30	27.3 - 23.04	Germany	Protomyia grossa, Protomyia stygia, Protomyia heeri (123945) Protomyia stygia (154946)
Aquitanian	23.04 - 20.45	Türkiye	Penthetria beskonakensis (123307)
Aquitanian	23.04 - 20.45	Germany	Penthetria sp. (190126)
Burdigalian	20.45 - 15.98	Greece	Penthetria fuchsi (144526) Penthetria marinosi (130761)
MN 4	16.9 - 15.98	Czechia	Bibiopsis egerana, Bibiopsis imperialis, Protomyia bohemica (117612)
Middle Miocene	15.98 - 11.63	Germany	Bibiopsis carbonum (152936)
Sarmatian	12.8 - 11.63	Germany (Baden-Württemberg)	Protomyia amoena (115305) Protomyia speciosa, Penthetria brevicollis (117252)
Sarmatian	12.8 - 11.63	Croatia	Bibio gracilis (156758) Penthetria anthracina, Penthetria cimicoides (224110) Penthetria longa, Bibiopsis murchisonii, Penthetria anthracina (117247) Protomyia anthracina (113693) Protomyia longa, Bibio gracilis, Bibiopsis brevicollis, Protomyia anthracina (117761) Protomyia longa, Bibio gracilis, Bibiopsis cimicoides, Bibio murchisonis (117246)
Tortonian	11.63 - 7.246	Iceland	Penthetria sp. (154940)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	Italy	Penthetria sp. (157306)
Messinian	7.246 - 5.333	Italy (Tuscany)	Penthetria sp. (113751)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Germany (Niedersachsen)	Plecia sp. (109196)
Piacenzian	3.6 - 2.58	Japan	Penthetria togoensis (160140) Penthetria velutina (188976)