Mythicomyiidae Melander, 1902

Mythicomyiidae is a family resembling tiny Bombyliidae flies. As a rule of thumb, mythicomyiids sport a humpbacked scutum (anterior part of the thorax) and their vestiture is scarce. There are some mythicomyiids featuring long proboscis. For these reasons, many myhticomyiids have been placed as empidoids or even as acrocerids. Mythicomyiids can measure from 1 mm to 5 mm. Mythicomyiids have a wing with R₄₊₅ not branched. The arculus is absent in Mythicomyiidae; palpi are absent or minute when present. Their abdominal spiracles are in terga [Evenhuis, 2001].

Axel Leonard Melander (3 June 1878 Chicago – 8 August 1962) was an American entomologist specialising in Diptera and Hymenoptera. His collection is shared between the German Entomological Institute and the Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C. He was the authority for setting the family Mythicomyiidae in 1902.