Neophyllomyza acyglossa has been reared from dead wood and several species have been observed to be kleptoparasitic on Asilidae and on spiders.

Dull brown or black with 2 medioclinate frontal setae, 2 lateroclinate orbital setae, frons broader than long, facial carina indistinct; labella more than twice as long as wide; wing with C extending to M1, distance between crossvein dm–cu and wing margin along vein CuA1 clearly greater than distance between crossveins r–m and dm–cu; first tarsomere of hind leg with posteroventral comb of setae.

Coloration and vestiture: Overall colour dull brown or black.

Head higher than long; ocellar triangle slightly raised, frons broader than long, unicolorous and subshining; frontal chaetotaxy: 2 medioclinate frontals, 2 lateroclinate orbitals; 3 or 4 cruciate interfrontals and 2 or 3 additional  proclinate interfrontals along anterior margin of frons, divergent, proclinate ocellars, weak proclinate setae between posterior ocelli, cruciate postocellar setae, strong medioclinate inner vertical, lateroclinate and reclinate outer vertical; eye bare, large, higher than long; gena narrow, with subvibrissal setae along margin; vibrissal angle evident, vibrissa strong; lunule small, bare; face concave in lateral view, facial carina narrow, barely visible in lateral view; antenna with scape and pedicel short, first flagellomere enlarged and densely pubescent in males, less so in females (except in one female specimen from British Columbia), arista slender and pubescent; proboscis long,  geniculate; palpus well-developed.

Thorax: Scutum convex with uniformly distributed setulae; scutal chaetotaxy: 1 postpronotal, 1 anterior and 1 posterior notopleural, 1 presutural and 2 postsutural supraalar, 1 postsutural intraalar, 2 postsutural dorsocentrals (1 short, 1 long), 1 prescutellar acrostichal; scutellum convex, bare except for apical and basal scutellar setae, apical scutellar setae long and cruciate, basal scutellar setae half as long as apicals, convergent; 1 katepisternal seta and several smaller hairs on katepisternum, other thoracic pleurites bare.

Wing hyaline, broadest at midpoint, C extending to M1, C with dense black spinules on leading edge extending as far as insertion of R2+3 or just beyond; R2+3, R4+5, and M1 roughly parallel, crossveins r–m and dm–cu in basal half of wing, cell dm short, distance between crossvein dm–cu and wing margin clearly greater than distance between crossveins r–m and dm–cu, cell cup absent or vestigial.

Legs setulose, midtibia with apical ventral seta, first tarsomere of hind leg with posteroventral comb of setae.

Abdominal tergites with scattered setulae, sternites narrow, setulose. Male postabdomen: epandrium saddleshaped, with setae and setulae posterodorsally; surstylus simple, elongate, partially fused to epandrium; hypandrium U-shaped; no fusion between phallapodemic sclerite, pregonites, and hypandrium; basiphallus  elongate, conical, sclerotized, distiphallus membranous, with a sclerotized strip posterolaterally on each side of
base; cerci broad with long setae ventrally; subepandrial sclerite well-developed. Female ovipositor telescopic, tergites and sternites 6–8 reduced, tergite 7 longitudinally divided; cerci long, narrow.

Source: Brochu & Wheeler 2009 (The description of the genus is based primarily on the Nearctic species, but incorporates Neotropical and Australian specimens)

1.4–2.5 mm

Palaearctic, Nearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Australasian Region