Cyclorrhapha
Group of flies

Cyclorrhapha is an unranked taxon within the infraorder Muscomorpha. They are called "Cyclorrhapha" ('circular-seamed flies') with reference to the circular aperture through which the adult escapes the puparium. This is a circumscriptional name that has significant historical familiarity, but in the present classification, this name is synonymous with the more recent "Muscomorpha".
Cyclorrhapha underwent major adaptive radiation that led to over 72,000 extant species. These species share multiple attributes such as the 360-degree rotation of the male terminalia.
Cyclorrhapha exhibits significant morphological and molecular diversity, including notable changes in anterior egg development, as exemplified by the role of the exuperantia (exu) gene in Anastrepha fraterculus, a species of great agricultural importance. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses suggest that the larval structures of Cyclorrhapha have evolved in response to varying food consistencies, reflecting their ecological adaptations.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Cyclorrhapha”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Sarcophagid fly Portrait.jpg by JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 1.0
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