Other Common Names
Phoridae in general are known as Scuttle Flies, Humpbacked Flies, or Coffin Flies (see
family page for origin of common names)
Numbers
188 described species in North America listed at
nearctica.com - plus a considerable number of undescribed species
nearly half (or about 1,500 species) of the world's described Phoridae belong to this genus; the number of undescribed species is estimated at ten times this number
Size
adults of many species are in the 2-4 mm range
Identification
a diagnostic characteristic of
M. scalaris is given on the
species page
identification of other Megaselia species requires examination by an expert
Habitat
larvae live in a variety of habitats: moist decaying plant or animal material, sanitation filter beds, sludge in sewer pipes and trash cans in public washrooms and homes, lab cultures of Drosophila, fresh or fermenting fruit, and sometimes in external wounds or in the digestive tract of animals, including humans
Food
many species are scavengers; some are herbivores, predators, parasites, or parasitoids
Life Cycle
similar to the description given on the
family pageRemarks
Larvae of M. scalaris display a unique behavior of swallowing air when exposed to a small pool of liquid. This allows them to float upon immersion, and may prevent drowning in the natural environment.
See Also
"fruit flies" such as
Drosophila are similar in body size (see comparison photos of
D. melanogaster and
Megaselia scalaris on page 4 of
this PDF doc) but have a larger head and bright red eyes in life
Internet References
pinned adult images of undetermined
Megaselia species (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
close-up images of undetermined adult
Megaselia species (Alan Hadley, micropics.org, UK)
pinned adult images of
M. scalaris (Brian Brown, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, phorid.net)
Questions and Answers on phorid flies (Brian Brown, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, phorid.net)
overview of habits and biology of
M. scalaris (Alan Christensen, U. of Nebraska)
account of myiasis [invasion of living tissue by dipteran larvae] by
M. scalaris in wounds of hospital patient (P.R. Hira et al, Kuwait U., Kuwait, courtesy of US National Institutes of Health)
air swallowing in larvae of
M. scalaris (D.A. Harrison and R.L. Cooper, U. of Kentucky)
Contributed by
Robin McLeod on 10 January, 2006 - 8:42am
Last updated 10 January, 2006 - 11:41am
