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Mythicomyiidae flies were in the past confused with Acroceridae!!! and even with Empididae, Rhagionidae and Stratiomyidae! FOOLS. :p (just teasing..) Well, mythicomyiidae flies prefer very arid to arid habitats, that's why in neotropical humid forests we will find almost nothing these flies. Desertic and hot areas (antarctida is also a desert!) are among the best places to spot them. I also found them feeding on Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae flowers. There is a peculiar behaviour among them: when flies are to be found together in a small area they tend to be much more calm in comparation when they are isolated. The reason is unknown.
South Africa seems to be a country with many treasures like Mythicomyiidae flies! Go to the dunes, check those Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae flowers. Yellow pan traps dispersed is a great way to catch them.
I know that, at the moment, for example, the genus Empidideicus is under a world revision.
The majority of mythicomyiids have humpbacked thoraces and lack the dense vestiture that we can see in Bombyliidae; usually wings have NO marks or patches, it is common to find hyaline wings! The wing venation is very simple, with R2+3 unbranched, costa incomplete.

There is one genus that parasites nest of ants like the Glabellula (those can be found in sand dunes), specially, it is known that Glabellula parasites Formica nests. Just to show that there is little known on their biology: "Not much is known of the biologies of the immature stages of mythicomyiids. Host
data and potential or presumed hosts are known for only 6 species of mythicomyiids.
Members of the genera Psiloderoides and Gubba, n. gen., have been reared from
grasshopper egg pods in South Africa and Australia respectively (Hesse, 1967; Fuller,
1938b); Glabellula arctica has been observed in nests of Formica spp. (de Meijere, 1924;
Andersson 1974); a pupa of Glabellula crassicornis was found in a dead locust tree
among the frass of an unknown insect and successfully reared to the adult stage (Greene,
1924); Mythicomyia pusilla has been recorded as a parasite of Anthophora bee larvae
(Thorpe, 1969); and an immature of Mythicomyia pruinosa was found in an ant midden
located beneath a rock (Hall & Evenhuis, 1986). Only one additional record has been
found in the over 6,000 specimens examined during this study: a single specimen of
Glabellula palaestinensis was found in the stem of Sorghum, which was infested with the
larvae of the moth Sesamis in Egypt. Bowden (1980) states that “A few species of
Mythicomyiinae have been reared from vegetable detritus . . .”, but gives no further
details." Evenhuis, Neal. 2002. (see below the linkl for the catalog where you can find this transcribed text.)


Also I see in your photo one very interesting thing that must be a subject of study. In Bombyliidae, the flies collect pollen on their forelegs and then scrape it into their proboscis - they have specialized hairs for this. In Mythicomyiidae, they do not have specialized hairs on the forelegs but it looks like they might on the hind legs. In some of mine photos: http://www.flickr...322680938/ and here: http://www.dipter...d_id=23643 it looks like pollen is sticking to the hind legs. And in yours we can see also the same behaviour! Please begin to collect those mythicos (if you can..) :)


Addenda: One of the best countries to find mythicos is Turkey. I almost screamed when I saw this breathtaking and awesome Platypygus (specially ridibundus)!! --> http://corzonneve...yiidae.php This Platypygus also can be found in South Spain.
There is no almost nothing in the net on these flies and for bibliography it is very, very disperse! Indeed, much of their biology is UNKNOWN! There are many larvae unknow in mythicos, for example. Those behaviour I described above have no coherent reason...
In truth there is a pdf on http://hbs.bishop...t/be10.pdf -- # Evenhuis, N.L., 2002. Catalog of the Mythicomyiidae of the world.Bishop Museum Bulletin in Entomology 10: 1-85. established classification of the family.
there is a small chapter with keys to genera in "Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 1997. Family Bombyliidae. In: Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera Volume 2 (L. Papp & B. Darvas, eds.): 487-512. Science Herald, Budapest. provide a key to the Palaearctic genera." (I have it only in paper.)

well, it is a family of primitive flies and it has so much to learn! ;)

A list of all genera (singular: genus) known so far:


* Acridophagus +
* Ahessea +
* Cephalodromia +
* Cyrtisiopsis +
* Cyrtosia +
* Doliopteryx +
* Empidideicus +
* Glabellula +
* Glella +
* Hesychastes +
* Leylaiya +
* Mnemomyia +
* Mythenteles +
* Mythicomyia +
* Nexus +
* Onchopelma +
* Paraconsors +
* Pieza +
* Platypygus +
* Pseudoglabellula +
* Psiloderoides +
* Reissa +


I only saw Empidideicus, Glabellula, Cyrtosia and Cephalodromia. I know Mythicomyia, Cyrtisiopsis, Mythenteles (I'm trying to find these!) and Platypygus!
My friend Neal Evenhuis gave the name # Carmenelectra Evenhuis, 2003 to a mythicomyiid! :D

one final addenda: I will try to get "Greathead, D.J. & N.L. Evenhuis, 2001. Annotated keys to the genera of African Bombylioidea (Diptera: Bombyliidae; Mythicomyiidae). African Invertebrates 42: 105-224. good illustrated keys to African genera."
email me if you are interested in...
Thanks!