Scatopsidae

Taxobox
name = Scatopsidae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Hexapoda
classis = Insecta
subclassis = Pterygota
infraclassis = Neoptera
superordo = Endopterygota
ordo = Diptera
subordo = Nematocera
infraordo = Psychodomorpha
superfamilia = Scatopsoidea
familia = Scatopsidae
subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
subdivision = *Aspistinae
*Ectaetiinae
*Psectrosciarinae
*Scatopsinae

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.

Genera

* "Anapausis" Enderlein, 1912
* "Apiloscatopse" Cook, 1874
* "Arthria" Kirby, 1837
* "Aspistes" Meigen, 1818
* "Austroclemina"
* "Borneoscatopse"
* "Brahemyia" Amorim, 2007
* "Coboldia" Melander, 1916 (sometimes erroneously as "Colboldia")
* "Colobostema" Enderlein, 1926
* "Cooka" Amorin, 2007
* "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

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".

ee also

* List of Australian Scatopsidae

References

* [http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/scatopsidae.html] [http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/abrs/fauna/details.pl?pstrVol=NEMATOCERA;pstrTaxa=3373;pstrChecklistMode=1] - Family descriptions
* Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog ( [http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:llCNnJJzD44J:hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/scatopsidae.html Google cache] )

Further reading

pecies descriptions

* Cook, E.F. (1969). A synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the Palaearctic Part I. Rhegmoclematini. "Journal of Natural History" 3(3): 393-407 DOI|10.1080/00222936900770341 (HTML abstract)
* Cook, E.F. (1972). A synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the Palaearctic Part II. Swammerdamellini. "Journal of Natural History" 6(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(1): 61-100 DOI|10.1080/00222937400770061

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; 1-17. [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/3499/1/N3227.pdf PDF fulltext]

External links

* [http://www.biolib.cz/en/taxontree/id17379 BioLib: Incomplete taxonomic tree of Scatopsidae]
* [http://www.nearctica.com/nomina/diptera/dips-t.htm List of nearctic Scatopsidae species]
* [http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/newslides/029015001001apl.jpgPicture of "Rhegmoclema hubachecki"]