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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Platypezoidea » Scuttle Flies (Phoridae)

Family Phoridae - Scuttle Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Remarks · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Scuttle Fly - Megaselia scalaris - male Fly IMG_4616 Mating flies - male - female small phorid - Megaselia - female Pseudacteon curvatus - female Phoridae Diptera fly on mushroom
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Aschiza")
Superfamily Platypezoidea
Family Phoridae (Scuttle Flies)
Other Common Names
Humpbacked Flies, Coffin Flies
Explanation of Names
Phoridae Curtis 1833
Scuttle Flies: refers to their running quickly in short bursts; Coffin Flies: larvae enter coffins and feed on bodies
Numbers
376 described species in 50 genera in NA (half of the fauna are Megaselia), >4,200 described species in >300 genera total(1), and many times that number undescribed(2)
Size
Adult 0.4‒7 mm (many 2‒4 mm)
Identification
flies with a humped back, a low small head, and dark eyes; costa extends only about halfway along wing margin; two strong longitudinal veins in costal area, and 4‒5 weak veins posteriorly, not connected by cross-veins; metafemora enlarged and flattened, and hind legs long; antennae appear 1-segmented
Range
worldwide
Habitat
Season
Year-round indoors
Food
Extremely diverse: there are scavengers (some extraordinarily generalized, others highly specialized), herbivores, fungus-feeders, predators, parasitoids, and true parasites. Adults feed on honeydew, nectar, dead insects, carrion, host hemolymph; a few prey on insects
Parasitism of tarantulas (G. Tansley)
Remarks
Some species are wingless
Print References
(3)(4)(5)
Brown B.V., Francoeur A., Gibson R.L. (1991) Review of the genus Styletta (Diptera: Phoridae), with description of a new genus. Entomologica Scandinavica 22: 241‒250. (Full text)
Disney R.H.L. (2004) Genera resembling Beckerina Malloch (Diptera: Phoridae). Zootaxa 518: 1‒28 (Full text)
Internet References
Phorid.net
Works Cited
1.Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.
2.LA County Museum Phorid site
3.Scuttle Flies: The Phoridae
Disney RHL. 1994. Springer Dordrecht.
4.Revision of the North American phorid flies. Pt 1. The Phorinae, Aenigmatiinae and Metopiinae, except Megaselia (Dip.: Phoridae)
Borgmeier T. 1963. Studia Entomologica 6: 1-256.
5.Additions to the phorid chapter in the "Manual of Nearctic Diptera, Vol.2" (Diptera: Phoridae)
Brown B.V. 1988. Can. Entomol. 120: 307–322.
Contributed by Joel Kits on 2 April, 2005 - 10:42pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, Keith Bayless, v belov, Arturo Santos
Last updated 13 August, 2024 - 11:31am

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