Medetera is a large genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It includes about 350 species worldwide. The adults are commonly found resting on vertical surfaces such as tree trunks, on which they have a characteristic vertical upright stance. Because of this stance, they are sometimes known as "woodpecker flies". Medetera adults are predators of soft-bodied arthropods, while the larvae are predators of bark beetle larvae.
A 2011 molecular phylogenetic analysis of Medetera and related genera found that Medetera is paraphyletic with respect to Dolichophorus, and that Thrypticus is a sister taxon to Medetera + Dolichophorus.
Species Taxonomy follows Bickel (1985, 1987), though some of the species groups are treated as separate genera by other authors.
nova species group: Medetera dominicensis Robinson, 1975 Medetera nova Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera xanthotricha Becker, 1922 one undescribed species from Chiapas, Mexico isobellae species group: Medetera isobellae Bickel, 1985 Medetera pseudonigripes Robinson, 1975 petulca species group: Medetera aeneiventris Van Duzee, 1933 Medetera aequalis Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera albescens (Parent, 1925) (?)Medetera araneipes Parent, 1929 Medetera chrysotimiformis Kowarz, 1868 Medetera dorycondylus Bickel, 1985 Medetera falcata Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera flavirostris Negrobov, 1966 Medetera leucarista Stackelberg, 1947 (?)Medetera perplexa (Becker, 1917) (sometimes a synonym of Acropsilus niger (Loew, 1869)) Medetera petulca Wheeler, 1899 Medetera physothrix Bickel, 1985 Medetera platythrix Bickel, 1985 Medetera postminima Steyskal, 1967 Medetera potomac Bickel, 1985 Medetera prjachinae Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera similis Van Duzee, 1919 (?)Medetera turkestanica (Stackelberg, 1926) Medetera turkmenorum (Stackelberg, 1937) Medetera utahensis Bickel, 1985 Medetera vlasovi (Stackelberg, 1937): see Asioligochaetus Medetera walschaertsi Gosseries, 1989 (nom. nov. for Medetera alpina Harmston & Knowlton, 1941) Medetera xerophila Wheeler, 1899 Medetera zimini Negrobov, 1966 aberrans species group (= Saccopheronta Becker, 1914): Medetera aberrans Wheeler, 1899 Medetera abrupta Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera albitarsis Van Duzee, 1931 †Medetera amissa Bickel & Solórzano Kraemer, 2016 Medetera amplimanus Van Duzee, 1931 Medetera archboldi Robinson, 1975 Medetera bella Van Duzee, 1929 Medetera caffra Curran, 1927 Medetera dilatata Becker, 1922 Medetera excavata Becker, 1922 Medetera flabellifera Becker, 1922 Medetera flavides Negrobov & Thuneberg, 1970 Medetera gomwa Bickel, 1987 Medetera hirsuticosta (Parent, 1935) Medetera jamaicensis Curran, 1928 Medetera johnthomasi Bickel & Arnaud, 2011 Medetera kandyensis Naglis & Bickel, 2012 Medetera luzonensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera maai Bickel, 1987 Medetera metallina Becker, 1922 Medetera mindanensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera minor Becker, 1922 Medetera montserratensis Runyon, 2020 Medetera nigra (Vanschuytbroeck, 1960) Medetera nigrimanus Van Duzee, 1931 Medetera nudipes (Becker, 1914) Medetera occidentalis Schiner, 1868 Medetera ovata Van Duzee, 1931 Medetera pallidicornis Van Duzee, 1929 Medetera parvilamellata (Parent, 1938) Medetera pedestris Becker, 1922 Medetera peradeniya Naglis & Bickel, 2012 Medetera planipes Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera platychira De Meijere, 1916 Medetera pollinosa Van Duzee, 1929 Medetera pulchra (Vanschuytbroeck, 1951) Medetera quinta (Parent, 1936) Medetera scaura Van Duzee, 1929 Medetera setosa Parent, 1931 Medetera spinulata Parent, 1931 Medetera steyskali Robinson, 1975 Medetera tarsata Parent, 1931 Medetera tritarsa Parent, 1928 Medetera varipes Van Duzee, 1929 Medetera viridiventris Van Duzee, 1933 Medetera vockerothi Bickel, 1985 melanesiana species group (= Demetera Grichanov 2011): Medetera demeteri (Grichanov, 1997) Medetera kokodensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera macalpinei Bickel, 1987 Medetera malaisei Bickel, 1987 Medetera melanesiana Bickel, 1987 Medetera morobensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera niuginiensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera rhetheura Bickel, 1987 signaticornis-pinicola species group: signaticornis species subgroup: Medetera aldrichi Wheeler, 1899 Medetera bistriata Parent, 1929 Medetera flinflon Bickel, 1985 Medetera signaticornis Loew, 1857 Medetera subsignaticornis Bickel, 1985 pinicola species subgroup: Medetera adjaniae Gosseries, 1989 (nom. nov. for Medetera breviseta Parent, 1927) Medetera fascinator Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972
Medetera fumida Negrobov, 1967 Medetera gaspensis Bickel, 1985 Medetera kinabaluensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera maura Wheeler, 1899 Medetera melancholica Lundbeck, 1912 Medetera neomelancholia Bickel, 1985 Medetera obscura (Zetterstedt, 1838) Medetera occultans Negrobov, 1970 Medetera pinicola Kowarz, 1878 Medetera polonica Negrobov & Capecki, 1977 Medetera ravida Negrobov, 1970 Medetera vidua Wheeler, 1899 apicalis species group: Medetera abstrusa Thuneberg, 1955 Medetera acanthura Negrobov & Thuneberg, 1970 Medetera albens Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera apicalis (Zetterstedt, 1843) Medetera apicipes De Meijere, 1916 Medetera austroapicalis Bickel, 1987 Medetera baicalica Negrobov, 1972 Medetera belgica Parent, 1936 Medetera betulae Ringdahl, 1949 Medetera bisecta Negrobov, 1967 Medetera bisetifera Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera borealis Thuneberg, 1955 Medetera chandleri Bickel, 1987 Medetera curviloba Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera cuspidata Collin, 1941 Medetera cyanogaster Wheeler, 1899 Medetera delita Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera exornata Tang, Wang & Yang, 2015 Medetera feminina Negrobov, 1967 Medetera fissa Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera furcata Curran, 1928 Medetera furva Tang, Wang & Yang, 2015 Medetera glauca Loew, 1869 Medetera gracilicauda Parent, 1927 Medetera himalayensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera hissarica Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera incisa Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera impigra Collin, 1941 Medetera kowarzi Negrobov, 1972
Medetera liwo Bickel, 1987 Medetera longinervis Van Duzee, 1928 Medetera longitarsis De Meijere, 1916 Medetera morgei Negrobov, 1971 Medetera nepalensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera pallipes (Zetterstedt, 1843) Medetera palmaris Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera parenti Stackelberg, 1925 Medetera peloria Negrobov, 1967 Medetera pseudoapicalis Thuneberg, 1955 Medetera pseudosibirica Bickel, 1985 Medetera pumila De Meijere, 1916 Medetera relicta Negrobov, 1967 Medetera saguaroicola Bickel, 1985 Medetera seguyi Parent, 1926 Medetera seguyi seguyi Parent, 1926 Medetera seguyi sphaeroidea Negrobov, 1967 Medetera sibirica Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera stomias Bickel, 1987 Medetera subtristis Negrobov, 1970 Medetera takagii Negrobov, 1970 Medetera taurica Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera triseta Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera tristis (Zetterstedt, 1838) Medetera tumidula Negrobov, 1967 Medetera zaitzevi Negrobov, 1972 crassivenis species group: Medetera asiatica Negrobov & Zaitzev, 1979 Medetera crassivenis Curran, 1928 Medetera excellens Frey, 1909 Medetera freyi Thuneberg, 1955 Medetera incrassata Frey, 1909 Medetera infuscata Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera inspissata Collin, 1952 Medetera marylandica Robinson, 1967 Medetera protuberans Negrobov, 1967 Medetera thunebergi Negrobov, 1967 Medetera tuberculosa Negrobov, 1972 diadema-veles species group: Medetera ambigua (Zetterstedt, 1843) Medetera armeniaca Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera arnaudi Harmston, 1951 Medetera californiensis Wheeler, 1899 Medetera canadensis Bickel, 1985 Medetera capillata Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera dendrobaena Kowarz, 1877 Medetera deserticola (Stackelberg, 1926) Medetera diadema (Linnaeus, 1767) Medetera flava Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera flavipes Meigen, 1824 Medetera ganshuiensis Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera grisescens De Meijere, 1916 Medetera halteralis Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera infumata Loew, 1857 Medetera jacula (Fallén, 1823) Medetera kerzhneri Negrobov, 1966 Medetera lamprostoma Loew, 1871 Medetera lihuae Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera micacea Loew, 1857 Medetera mixta Negrobov, 1967 Medetera modesta Van Duzee, 1914 Medetera mongolica Negrobov, 1966 Medetera montana Negrobov, 1972 Medetera nebulosa Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera nigripes Loew, 1861 Medetera opaca De Meijere, 1916 Medetera paralamprostoma Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera pavlovskii Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera petrophila Kowarz, 1878 Medetera plumbella Meigen, 1824 Medetera shiae Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera shuimogouensis Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera spinulicauda Negrobov, 1970 Medetera sinuosa Tang, Wang & Yang, 2015 Medetera stylata Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera subgrisescens Naglis & Bickel, 2012 Medetera tenuicauda Loew, 1857 Medetera transformata Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 Medetera truncorum Meigen, 1824 Medetera tuktoyaktuk Bickel, 1985 Medetera veles Loew, 1861 Medetera victoris Negrobov, 1972 Medetera vittata Van Duzee, 1919 Medetera xiquegouensis Tang, Wang & Yang, 2016 chillcotti species group: Medetera bishopae Bickel, 1987 Medetera chillcotti Bickel, 1987 australiana species group: Medetera australiana Bickel, 1987 Medetera mosmanensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera queenslandensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera wongabelensis Bickel, 1987 toxopeusi species group: Medetera cheesmanae Bickel, 1987 Medetera gressitti Bickel, 1987 Medetera irianensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera papuensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera toxopeusi Parent, 1932 Medetera vivida Becker, 1922 Medetera waris Bickel, 1987 gracilis species group: Medetera borneensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera gracilis Parent, 1935 Medetera penangensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera sandakanensis Bickel, 1987 flaviscutellum species group: Medetera athertonensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera bunyensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera colombensis Naglis & Bickel, 2012 Medetera dorrigensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera flaviscutellum Bickel, 1987 Medetera gingra Bickel, 1987 Medetera killertonensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera philippinensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera uda Bickel, 1987 salomonis species group (= Medeterella Grichanov 2011): Medetera austrofemoralis Bickel, 1987 Medetera femoralis Becker, 1922 Medetera malayensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera mooneyensis Bickel, 1987 Medetera nigrohalterata Parent, 1932 Medetera olivacea De Meijere, 1916 Medetera pospelovi Grichanov, 1997 Medetera pseudofemoralis Bickel, 1987 Medetera salomonis Parent, 1941
Unsorted:
Medetera abnormis Yang & Yang, 1995 Medetera adsumpta Becker, 1922 Medetera africana Grichanov, 2000 Medetera africana africana Grichanov, 2000 Medetera africana senegalensis Grichanov, 2000 Medetera aglaops Pollet in Pollet et al., 2022 Medetera albiseta Parent, 1927 Medetera albisetosa (Parent, 1925) Medetera alexandri Negrobov, 1979 Medetera alpicola Naglis & Negrobov, 2014 Medetera altra Parent, 1931 Medetera anjudanica Grichanov & Ahmadi, 2017 Medetera annulitarsus von Roser, 1840 Medetera anus Becker, 1922 Medetera arrogans (Parent, 1927) Medetera babelthaup Bickel, 1995 Medetera bargusinica Negrobov, 1972 Medetera bidentata Negrobov & Golubtsov, 1991 Medetera bilineata Frey, 1915 Medetera bispinosa Negrobov, 1967 Medetera brevispina Yang & Saigusa, 2001 Medetera brevitarsa Parent, 1927 Medetera brunea Negrobov, 1970 Medetera bweza Grichanov, 2000 Medetera caeruleifacies Naglis & Negrobov, 2014 Medetera calvinia Grichanov, 2000 Medetera campestris Naglis & Negrobov, 2014 Medetera capensis Curran, 1926 Medetera capitiloba Negrobov & Stackelberg, 1972 Medetera cederholmi Grichanov, 1997 Medetera chumakovi Grichanov, 1997 Medetera cimbebasia Grichanov, 2000 Medetera collarti Negrobov, 1967 Medetera complicata Negrobov, 1967 Medetera compressa Yang & Saigusa, 2001 Medetera corsicana Pollet in Pollet et al., 2022 Medetera crassicauda Robinson, 1975