# Zhangsolvidae
**Zhangsolvidae** is an extinct family of stout-bodied brachyceran flies (order Diptera) that possessed a long, rigid proboscis and is known only from [Cretaceous](https://www.edgepedia.org/cretaceous) deposits, placed within the infraorder Stratiomyomorpha.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106) • [2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) The family was erected by Nagatomi and Yang in 1998 for the genus *Zhangsolva*, from compression fossils in the Early Cretaceous Laiyang Formation of China, and was later recognized in the Crato limestones of Brazil and in Cretaceous amber from Spain and Myanmar.[3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full) • [1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106) Amber-preserved specimens show that these flies were pollinators of gymnosperms, with Bennettitalean pollen found attached to the body of one individual.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Definition | Extinct brachyceran fly family in Stratiomyomorpha, the only members of that infraorder, living or extinct, with a long rigid proboscis[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) |
| Stratigraphic range | At least 125 to 100 Ma, Early to mid-Cretaceous[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) |
| Diversity | Four genera and seven species as counted in the 2018 AMNH monograph; earlier counts gave six species in four genera (2017)[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) • [3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full) |
| Deposits | Laiyang Formation (China, compression), Crato Formation (Brazil, limestone), Albian amber (Spain), Kachin amber (Myanmar), Jinju Formation (South Korea)[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106) • [5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634) |
| Proboscis length | 3.85 mm in a Spanish amber specimen and 4.37 mm in a Burmese amber specimen[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) |
| Feeding | Proboscis adapted for nectar and possibly pollen feeding, not predation or blood feeding[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) |
| Extinction | Died out in the late Cretaceous, probably with the extinction of their gymnosperm food plants[3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full) |
## Morphology and diagnosis
Zhangsolvids are diagnosed by a stout body, a very long and slender proboscis, a strongly arched vein M1, M3 fused to M4, and CuA fused to CuP in the wing venation.[3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full) The proboscis is rigid and siphonate. Its fine structure is adapted for taking nectar and possibly pollen: each labellar lobe carries 10 to 12 pseudotracheae, each with 30 to 40 transverse pseudotracheal rings, a configuration suited to liquid and particulate plant food rather than to piercing.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
Two amber species show a feature unique among Brachycera, extant or extinct: remarkably long, flagellate antennae. In *Linguatormyia teletacta* the antennae reach about 1.6 times the body length.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106)
## Systematics and phylogeny
The family was erected by Nagatomi and Yang (1998) for *Zhangsolva cupressa* from the [Laiyang Formation](https://www.edgepedia.org/laiyang-formation); *Zhangsolva* is the type genus, with *Archisolva cupressa* as its type species.[3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full) • [6](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?is_real_user=1&taxon_no=295233) A 2015 revision synonymized *Cratomyoides* Wilkommen with *Cratomyia* Mazzarolo & Amorim, both from the Crato Formation, and synonymized the family Cratomyiidae with Zhangsolvidae.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106)
**Phylogenetic placement.** A morphological analysis of 52 characters for 35 taxa, 11 of them Cretaceous species, supports placement of Zhangsolvidae within Stratiomyomorpha, though not within any particular family of the infraorder.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106) The AMNH monograph adds that zhangsolvids have sensillar foveae on the antenna and vein C ending near the tip of M1, so the family may be an extinct sister group to Xylomyidae plus [Stratiomyidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/stratiomyidae).[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) The living Stratiomyomorpha comprise three families: Stratiomyidae with 2650 species in 375 genera, Xylomyidae with 143 species in 4 genera, and Pantophthalmidae with 20 species in two genera.[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full)
## Genera and species
The 2018 AMNH monograph counts four genera and seven species, entirely Early to mid-Cretaceous: *Zhangsolva cupressa* as a compression fossil in China, two *Buccinatormyia* species in Spanish amber, *Linguatormyia teletacta* in [Burmese amber](https://www.edgepedia.org/burmese-amber), and *Cratomyia* species in Crato Formation limestone of Brazil.[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) A specialist catalog lists six genera, adding *Burmomyia* and the synonymized *Cratomyoides*, with country totals of Brazil 2 genera and 3 species, China 1 and 1, Myanmar 2 and 2, and Spain 1 and 2.[7](https://insectoid.net/?diptera-zhangsolvidae=) The attribution of Burmese-amber material differs among sources: the AMNH monograph and the Geological Society paper assign it to *Linguatormyia*, *Zhangsolva*, and *Cratomyia*,[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) • [8](https://doi.org/10.1144/sp521-2021-150) while the Mindat database lists *Burmomyia* at 99.6 Ma among the accepted genera.[9](https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8704689.html)
Notable species include:
- *Zhangsolva cupressa*, the type species, Aptian in age (121.4 to 113.2 Ma per the PaleoBioDB range for the genus).[6](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?is_real_user=1&taxon_no=295233)
- *Buccinatormyia magnifica* and *B. soplaensis*, described in 2015 from Albian amber of the Las Peñosas Formation, Spain.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106)
- *Linguatormyia teletacta*, described in 2015 from Upper Albian to Lower Cenomanian amber of the Hukawng Valley, Myanmar.[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106)
- *Buccinatormyia gangnami*, the first Diptera recorded from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation of the Korean Peninsula, described from six specimens.[5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
- *Zhangsolva burmensis*, described in 2022 from Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar.[8](https://doi.org/10.1144/sp521-2021-150)
- *Cratomyia zhuoi*, named by Zhang and Wang (2019), with type specimen NIGP169579, an inclusion in Kachin (Burmese) amber.[10](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?is_real_user=1&taxon_no=381757)
## Fossil record and distribution
Zhangsolvid flies lived at least between 125 and 100 Ma, and were widespread across the Early to mid-Cretaceous of both Laurasia and Gondwana.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X) The family is preserved in two contrasting modes: compression fossils in shale and limestone (Laiyang Formation in China, Crato Formation in Brazil, Jinju Formation in South Korea) and three-dimensional inclusions in amber (Spain and Myanmar).[1](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106) • [5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634) The amber material preserves fine soft-tissue detail, including the pseudotracheal rings of the proboscis and adherent pollen.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
Specimen completeness varies by species. *Buccinatormyia gangnami* is known from six specimens, the largest number of fossils known for a single zhangsolvid species; four of them preserve a long proboscis with a twofold variation in relative length, possibly explained by sexual dimorphism.[5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
## Paleobiology and ecological role
**Direct pollination evidence.** A clump of well-preserved *Exesipollenites*-like pollen grains was found attached to the abdomen of a zhangsolvid fly fossilized in 100-million-year-old amber from Spain.[11](https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/amber-flies-pollinators) The pollen is probably that of the [Bennettitales](https://www.edgepedia.org/bennettitales), cycad-like gymnosperms that lived from approximately 250 to 70 Ma, making this direct evidence of a plant-insect pollination interaction involving a Cretaceous gymnosperm.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
The proboscis anatomy supports this role. In *Zhangsolva burmensis*, exceptional preservation of the holotype shows anatomical features identical to those of flower-visiting bombyliid flies, evidence for the proboscis's function in pollination.[8](https://doi.org/10.1144/sp521-2021-150) Across the family, the long rigid proboscis was doubtlessly used for probing reproductive structures of plants for pollen and nectar, in the manner of many modern long-tongued flies.[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full)
The preserved abdominal colouration pattern of *Buccinatormyia gangnami* suggests that the species was probably a wasp mimic.[5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
## By the numbers
- Several described species in four to six genera, depending on the source and treatment of synonyms.[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) • [7](https://insectoid.net/?diptera-zhangsolvidae=)
- A span of at least 25 million years, from 125 to 100 Ma.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
- At least five countries with fossil occurrences: China, Brazil, Spain, Myanmar, and South Korea.[5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
- [Proboscis](https://www.edgepedia.org/proboscis) lengths of 3.85 mm and 4.37 mm in the Spanish and Burmese amber specimens measured.[2](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
- Six specimens for the best-sampled species, *Buccinatormyia gangnami*.[5](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
## Extinction and comparison with other Cretaceous flies
Zhangsolvids became extinct during the late Cretaceous, probably due to the extinction of their gymnosperm food plants.[3](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full)
The contrast with living Stratiomyomorpha is sharp: the infraorder's three extant families together hold about 2813 species, while its only long-proboscid branch, Zhangsolvidae, left a fossil record of several described species before vanishing.[4](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full) Long-proboscid feeding did not end with the family; the proboscis anatomy of *Zhangsolva burmensis* matches that of flower-visiting bombyliids specifically.[8](https://doi.org/10.1144/sp521-2021-150)
## References
1. [Arillo, A. et al. (2015). Long-proboscid brachyceran flies in Cretaceous amber (Diptera: Stratiomyomorpha: Zhangsolvidae). Systematic Entomology.](https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/syen.12106)
2. [Peñalver, E. et al. (2015). Long-Proboscid Flies as Pollinators of Cretaceous Gymnosperms. Current Biology.](https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(15)00665-X)
3. [Evolution of Lower Brachyceran Flies (Diptera) and Their Adaptive Radiation with Angiosperms. Frontiers in Plant Science (2017).](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00631/full)
4. [Grimaldi, D. et al. Diverse Orthorrhaphan Flies (Insecta: Diptera: Brachycera) in Amber From the Cretaceous of Myanmar. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 408.](https://bioone.org/journals/bulletin-of-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/volume-408/issue-1/0003-0090-408.1.1.full)
5. [First long-proboscid flies (Diptera: Zhangsolvidae) from the Lower Cretaceous of South Korea. Alcheringa (2019).](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2019.1664634)
6. [PBDB Taxon: Zhangsolva. PaleoBioDB.](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?is_real_user=1&taxon_no=295233)
7. [Zhangsolvidae, taxonomy and distribution. Insectoid catalog.](https://insectoid.net/?diptera-zhangsolvidae=)
8. [New record of Zhangsolva Nagatomi and Yang, 1998 (Diptera, Zhangsolvidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and its implications. Geological Society Special Publications (2022).](https://doi.org/10.1144/sp521-2021-150)
9. [Zhangsolvidae (Mindat/GBIF/PBDB taxon page).](https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8704689.html)
10. [PBDB Taxon: Cratomyia zhuoi. PaleoBioDB.](https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?is_real_user=1&taxon_no=381757)
11. [Flies in Amber Were Ancient Pollinators. American Museum of Natural History.](https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/amber-flies-pollinators)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Arthropods › Insects › Flies › Diptera systematics and fossil record › Fossil and prehistoric Diptera › Cretaceous Diptera*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license