Scatopsidae

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iScatopsidae

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Subclass:	Pterygota
Infraclass:	Neoptera
Superorder:	Endopterygota
Order:	Diptera
Suborder:	Nematocera
Infraorder:	Psychodomorpha

Genera

see text.

The minute black scavenger flies or "dung midges", Scatopsidae, is a family of Nematoceran flies. Despite being distributed throughout the world, it is quite a small family with only around 250 described species in 27 genera although many await description and doubtless even more await discovery. These are generally small, sometimes minute, dark flies (from 0.6 to 5mm), generally similar to black flies (Simuliidae) but usually lacking the humped thorax characteristic of that family.

The larvae of most species are unknown but the few that have been studied have a rather flattened shape and are terrestrial and saprophagous.

Scatopsids are a well established group and fossils are known from amber deposits dating back to the Cretaceous period.

Scatopse notata (Linnaeus, 1758) is a cosmopolitan species. Its larval stages are found in decaying plant and animal material.

1 Genera
2 Name
3 See also
4 References
5 Further reading
- 5.1 Species descriptions
- 5.2 Fossil record
6 External links

[edit] Genera

This list is probably incomplete.

Anapausis Enderlein, 1912
Apiloscatopse Cook, 1874
Arthria Kirby, 1837
Aspistes Meigen, 1818
Austroclemina
Borneoscatopse
Coboldia Melander, 1916 (sometimes erroneously as Colboldia)
Colobostema Enderlein, 1926
Diamphidicus Cook, 1971
Efcookella
Ectaetia Enderlein, 1912
Ferneiella Cook, 1974
Hawomersleya Cook, 1971
Holoplagia Enderlein, 1912
† Mesoscatopse
Neorhegmoclemina
Parascatopse Cook, 1955
Parmaferia Cook, 1977
† Procolobostema
† Protoscatopse
Psectrosciara Kieffer, 1911
Quateiella Cook, 1975
Reichertella Enderlein, 1912
Rhegmoclema Enderlein, 1912
Rhegmoclemina Enderlein, 1936
Rhexoza Enderlein, 1936
Scatopse Geoffroy, 1762 (sometimes erroneously as Scatops or Scathops)
Swammerdamella Enderlein, 1912
Thripomorpha Enderlein, 1905

[edit] Name

The family name Scatopsidae literally translates to "looks like feces" (from Greek skat "dung" and opsi "appearance"), but this seems to be a misinterpretation. It is derived from the genus Scatopse, which was misspelled as Scatops.

[edit] See also

List of Australian Scatopsidae

[edit] References

[1] [2] - Family descriptions
Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog (Google cache)

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Species descriptions

Cook, E.F. (1969). A synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the Palaearctic Part I. Rhegmoclematini. Journal of Natural History 3:393-407 DOI:10.1080/00222936900770341
Cook, E.F. (1972). A synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the Palaearctic Part II. Swammerdamellini. Journal of Natural History 6:625-634. DOI:10.1080/00222937200770561
Cook, E.F. (1974). A Synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the palaearctic Part III. The Scatopsini. Journal of Natural History 8:61:100 DOI:10.1080/00222937400770061

[edit] Fossil record

de Souza Amorim, D. (1998). Amber Fossil Scatopsidae (Diptera: Psychodomorpha). I. Considerations on Described Taxa, Procolobostema roseni, new species, from Dominican Amber, and the Position of Procolobostema in the Family. American Museum Novitates 3227. PDF