Hybotidae

Hybotidae, the typical dance flies, are a family of true flies. They belong to the superfamily Empidoidea and were formerly included in the Empididae as a subfamily.

Some, such as Tachydromia, are predators that run around on the bark of trees in complex patterns, hence the common name. Tachydromia species are only about three millimeters long.

Description
Hybotidae share some similarities with the family Dolichopodidae, when looking at rotation of genitalia and wing characteristics. Male terminalia are rotated dextrally between 45° and 90°, excluding segment 7. Hybotidae wings always have a simple R4+5 vein, where the costa either ends near or at M1/M1+2, or near or at R4+5/R5. Furthermore, it can be distinguished from Dolichopodidae by the point of vein Rs, which it at a distance from the humeral crossvein (h) equal to or longer than the length of h.

Systematics
The Hybotidae clearly form a lineage quite distinct from the Empididae. Among the Empidoidea, they represent a lineage more basal than the main radiation of Empididae and Dolichopodidae, though they are not as ancient as the genera placed in the Atelestidae.

By and large, the Hybotidae are monophyletic. Among its subfamilies, the Hybotinae and Tachydromiinae certainly represent clades. The status of the Ocydromiinae as a natural group is less clear, in particular whether the Trichininae should be included as tribe Trichinini or even in the Bicellariini or Oedaleini, or whether they are more distinct and warrant recognition as a separate subfamily.

Based on the most recent phylogenetic studies, the relationship between Hybotidae and other members of Empidoidea is as follows. The placement of Hybotidae is emphasized in bold formatting.

Systematic list
The subfamilies with their tribes and selected genera are:

Hybotinae Meigen, 1820
 * Acarterus Loew, 1858
 * Afrohybos Smith, 1967
 * Ceratohybos Bezzi
 * Chillcottomyia Saigusa, 1986
 * Euhybus Coquillett, 1895
 * †Eternia Martins-Neto et al. 1992 Tremembé Formation, Brazil, Chattian
 * Hybos Meigen, 1803
 * Lactistomyia Melander, 1902
 * Lamachella Melander, 1928
 * Neohybos Ale-Rocha & Carvalho, 2003
 * Parahybos Kertész, 1899
 * †Pseudoacarterus Waters 1989 Orapa, Botswana, Turonian
 * Smithybos Ale-Rocha, 2000
 * Stenoproctus Loew, 1858
 * Syndyas Loew, 1857
 * Syneches Walker, 1852
 * †Syneproctus Solórzano-Kraemer et al. 2020 Dominican amber, Miocene

Ocydromiinae Trichininae (often included in Ocydromiinae)
 * Tribe Bicellariini Sinclair & Cumming, 2006
 * Bicellaria Macquart, 1823
 * Hoplocyrtoma
 * Leptocyrtoma
 * Tribe Ocydromiini
 * Leptodromiella Tuomikoski, 1936
 * Leptopeza Macquart, 1834
 * Ocydromia Meigen, 1820
 * Oropezella Collin, 1926
 * Tribe Oedaleini Chvála, 1983
 * Allanthalia Melander, 1927
 * Anthalia Zetterstedt, 1838
 * Euthyneura Macquart, 1836
 * Oedalea Meigen, 1820
 * †Ecommocydromia Schlüter 1978 Bezonnais amber, France, Cenomanian
 * †Pouillonhybos Ngô-Muller et al. 2020, Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
 * Trichina Meigen, 1830
 * Trichinomyia Tuomikoski, 1959


 * Tribe Symballophthalmini Bradley, Sinclair & Cumming, 2006
 * Symballophthalmus Becker , 1889 
 * Tribe Drapetini Collin, 1961
 * Allodromia Smith, 1962
 * Atodrapetis Plant, 1997
 * Austrodrapetis Smith, 1964
 * Austrodromia Collin, 1961
 * Chaetodromia Chillcott & Teskey, 1983
 * Chersodromia Haliday in Walker, 1851
 * Crossopalpus Bigot, 1857
 * Drapetis Meigen, 1822
 * Dusmetina Gil Collado, 1930
 * Elaphropeza Macquart, 1827
 * Isodrapetis Collin, 1961
 * Megagrapha Melander, 1928
 * Micrempis Melander, 1928
 * Nanodromia Grootaert, 1994
 * Ngaheremyia Plant & Didham, 2006
 * Pontodromia Grootaert, 1994
 * Sinodrapetis Yang, Gaimari & Grootaert, 2004
 * Stilpon Loew, 1859
 * Tribe Tachydromiini
 * Charadrodromia Melander, 1928
 * Dysaletria Loew, 1864
 * Pieltainia Arias, 1919
 * Platypalpus Macquart, 1827
 * Tachydromia Meigen, 1803
 * Tachyempis Melander, 1928
 * Tachypeza Meigen, 1830




 * †Archaeodrapetiops Martins-Neto et al. 1992 Tremembé Formation, Brazil, Chattian
 * †Cretoplatypalpus Kovalev 1978 Taimyr amber, Russia, Santonian, Canadian amber, Campanian
 * †Electrocyrtoma Cockerell 1917 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
 * †Mesoplatypalpus Grimaldi and Cumming 1999 Canadian amber, Campanian

Incertae sedis


 * †Trichinites Hennig 1970 Lebanese amber, Barremian