Family Piophilidae - Skipper Flies

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Range · Remarks · Works Cited

Piophilidae, lateralX - Prochyliza xanthostoma

Fly on Opossum - Prochyliza xanthostoma - male

shiny black fly with long antennae - Prochyliza xanthostoma

flies on lamb skull - Prochyliza xanthostoma - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Tephritoidea

Family Piophilidae (Skipper Flies)

Other Common Names

"Cheese Skippers" after the Cheese Skipper Piophila casei, a widespread species known to breed in stored cheese and meat.

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Includes the former families Neottiophilidae and Thyreophoridae

Explanation of Names

Piophilidae Macquart 1835

The common name refers to the larva's ability to make long jumps by grasping its "tail" in its mouth and then suddenly releasing it. They generally breed in rancid fats. (Eric Eaton)

Numbers

~60 spp. in 14 genera in our area, >80 spp. in 14 genera total(1)

Size

3-6 mm(2)

Range

worldwide; by far most diverse in the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere; many spp. of Piophilinae are Holarctic, and a few are cosmopolitan(2)

Remarks

In the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, the larvae are intentionally introduced into pecorino cheese to produce the characteristic casu marzu ("rotten cheese" in Sardinian).

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.	Manual of Nearctic Diptera Volume 2 Varies for each chapter; edited by J.F. McAlpine, B.V. Petersen, G.E. Shewell, H.J. Teskey, J.R. Vockeroth, D.M. Wood. 1987. Research Branch Agriculture Canada.

Contributed by Eric R. Eaton on 1 December, 2006 - 5:49pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, v belov, Arturo Santos, Chris Angell
Last updated 1 March, 2024 - 11:35am

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