Scathophagidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordo: Brachycera
Infraordo: Muscomorpha
Sectio: Schizophora
Subsectio: Calyptratae
Superfamilia: Muscoidea

Familia: Scathophagidae
Subfamiliae: Delininae - Scathophaginae
Overview of genera (56)

Acanthocnema – Acerocnema – Allomyella – Americina – Bostrichopyga – Bucephalina – Ceratinostoma – Chaetosa – Cleigastra – Cochliarium – Cordilura – Cordylurella – Cosmetopus – Delina – Ernoneura – Eupteromyia – Gimnomera – Gonarcticus – Gonatherus – Gymnomera – Hexamitocera – Hydromyza – Jezekia – Langechristia – Leptopa – Lubomyia – Megaphthalma – Megaphthalmoides – Microprosopa – Micropselapha – Milania – Mirekiana – Miroslava – Mixocordylura – Nanna - Neochirosia – Neorthacheta – Norellia – Norellisoma – Okeniella – Orchidophaga – Orthacheta – Paracosmetopus – Parallelomma – Phrosia – Plethochaeta – Pleurochaetella – Pogonota – Sargella – Scathophaga – Scatogera – Spathephilus – Spaziphora – Staegeria – Suwaia – Trichopalpus

Check (1): Microprosopa
Name

Scathophagidae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830
References

Ozerov, A.L., 1999: A new genus and three new species of Scathophagidae (Diptera) from the Russian Far East. Entomological Review 79 (1): 118–120. Abstract: [1].
Ozerov, A.L., 2007: new species of the genus Scathophaga Meigen (Diptera: Scathophagidae) from the Russian Far East. Far Eastern Entomologist 170: 1–4. Full article: [2].
Ozerov, A.L., 2008: Two new species of the genus Norellia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Scathophagidae) from Altai. Far Eastern Entomologist 184: 1–4. Full article: [3]
Ozerov, A. 2014: The primary types of Scathophagidae (Diptera) in the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, and Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Germany. Zoosystematics and evolution 90(1): 33–43. DOI: 10.3897/zse.90.7121 Reference page.
Ozerov, A.L.; Krivosheina, M.G. 2013: Types of Scathophagidae (Diptera) at the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg. Zoosystematica rossica 22(1): 141–149. Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Ozerov, A.L. & Krivosheina, M.G. 2015. A review of the genera Cleigastra Macquart, Gonarcticus Becker, Gonatherus Rondani, Hexamitocera Becker, Nanna Strobl, Orthacheta Becker and Spathephilus Becker (Diptera, Scathophagidae) of Russia. Zootaxa 4012(2): 201–257. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4012.2.1. Preview (PDF) Reference page.
Ozerov, A.L. & Krivosheina, M.G. 2015. Two new species of the genus Cordilura Fallén, 1810 (Diptera, Scathophagidae) from the Russian Far East. Zootaxa 4040(4): 489–493. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4040.4.11. Preview (PDF) Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2006: Norellisoma jelineki sp. nov. – a new species from the Czech Republic (Diptera: Scathophagidae). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 46: 193–196. PDF Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2008: Three new species of the family Scathophagidae (Diptera) from the Palaearctic region with a redescription of the male of Amaurosoma longicorne. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48(1): 103–109. PDF Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2008: A catalogue of the Scathophagidae (Diptera) of the Palaearctic region, with notes on their taxonomy and faunistics. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 48(1): 111–196. PDF Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2009: Two new genera of the family Scathophagidae (Diptera). Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49(1): 287–292. PDF Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2009: Additions and corrections to the Catalogue of the Scathophagidae (Diptera) of the Palaearctic Region. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49(1): 293–295. PDF Reference page.
Šifner, F. 2010: Two new genera and one new species of the family Scathophagidae (Diptera) from the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions with additional faunistic records. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 50(2): 609–618. ISSN: 0374-1036 Abstract

Additional references

Wolff, M.I., Grisales, D. & Nihei, S.S. 2016. FAMILY SCATHOPHAGIDAE. In Wolff, M.I., Nihei, S.S. & Carvalho, C.J.B. de (eds.), Catalogue of Diptera of Colombia. Zootaxa 4122(1): 854–855. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.71. Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Dung-flies
فارسی: سرگین‌مگسان
한국어: 똥파리과
русский: Навозные мухи
中文: 糞蠅科

The Scathophagidae are a small family of Muscoidea which are often known as dung flies, although this name is not appropriate except for a few species of the genus Scathophaga which do indeed pass their larval stages in animal dung. The name probably derives from the yellow dung fly (S. stercoraria), which is one of the most abundant and ubiquitous flies in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

Description

For terms, see Morphology of Diptera.

The Scathophagidae are medium-sized or quite small flies with a body length of 3.0 to 12.0 mm. The body is slender, especially in males, usually with an elongated, cylindrical abdomen. Many scathophagids appear more robust, however, due to a dense pubescence. Body colour body ranges from yellow to black; some species are glossy, but never with a metallic gloss. Some species are bicolored. The eyes are wide-set on the frons in males and females. The bristles on the head, thorax, and legs are well developed. The occiput usually has pale, long hairs. The arista is bare to plumose. Interfrontal bristles are absent. The wing is usually clear, but in some species has distinct marks or darkening at the tip or along the crossveins. The anal vein is long and usually reaches the wing margin. The meron is without bristles along the hind margin, near the posterior spiracle.
Hunting Cordilura on leaves of blackberry (video, 57s)
Biology

The larval biology of this family is actually quite diverse, including plant feeders (leaf miners, stem borers, or feeding in seed capsules), aquatic predators, and predators on other insect larvae in wet situations - such as piles of rotting vegetable matter, seaweed, or dung. The adults are predators on other small insects, and while they are commonly seen on flowers, they are hunting prey there, rather than acting as pollinators. They are, in fact, one of the better predators of blow-flies; thus, they are beneficial agents of biological control. Some species are attracted to dung in great numbers. One of the best-known species of this family is the yellow dung fly (Scathophaga stercoraria) (Linnaeus, 1758). The golden-yellow, densely pilose males of this species gather on cattle dung and may, in parts of its range, be observed at all times of the year.

Worldwide, about 500 described species are placed in 66 genera. The great majority are found in the Palearctic and Nearctic regions and the family is almost confined to the Northern Hemisphere, with only five species so far known from the Southern Hemisphere (and two of these are common northern species of Scathophaga, which have probably been imported with livestock into South Africa and Brazil). The most diverse fauna is found in the Russian Far East, and many new species have been described from this area over the last few decades. Because of the northerly distribution of many species, even within the Holarctic, Vockeroth (1987) has described this as the most northerly distributed of all fly families. He reports that, of the 150 species recorded from Canada, 25 are confined to the Arctic tundra.

Fifty-four species are currently recorded from the British Isles alone and nearly all of these have a Holarctic distribution.
Genera

These 61 genera belong to the family Scathophagidae:

Acanthocnema Becker, 1894 i c g b
Acerocnema Becker, 1894 i c g b
Allomyella Malloch, 1923 i c g b
Amaurosoma c g
Americina Malloch, 1923 i c g b
Bostrichopyga c g
Brooksiella Vockeroth, 1987 i g b
Bucephalina Malloch, 1919 i c g b
Ceratinostoma Meade, 1885 i c g b
Chaetosa Coquillett, 1898 i c g b
Cleigastra c g
Cochliarium c g
Conisternum Strobl, 1894 g
Cordilura Fallen, 1810 i c g b
Cordylurella Malloch, 1919 i c g b
Cosmetopus Becker, 1894 i c g b
Delina Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 i c g
Dromogaster Vockeroth, 1995 i g b
Ernoneura Becker, 1894 i c g b
Eupteromyia c g
Gimnomera Rondani, 1866 i c g b
Gonarcticus Becker, 1894 i c g b
Gonatherus Rondani, 1856 i c g b
Gymnomera c g
Hexamitocera Becker, 1894 i c g b
Huckettia Vockeroth, 1995 i g b
Hydromyza Fallen, 1813 i c g b
Jezekia c g
Langechristia c g
Leptopa c g
Megaphthalma Becker, 1894 i c g b
Megaphthalmoides Ringdahl, 1936 i c g b
Microprosopa Becker, 1894 i c g b
Micropselapha c g
Miroslava c g
Mixocordylura c g
Nanna Becker, 1894 i c g b
Neochirosia Malloch, 1917 i c g b
Neorthacheta Vockeroth, 1987 i c g b
Norellia c g
Norellisoma Hendel, 1910 i c g b
Okeniella Hendel, 1907 i c g b
Opsiomyia Coquillett, 1898 g
Orchidophaga c g
Orthacheta Becker, 1894 i c g b
Paracosmetopus c g
Parallelomma Becker, 1894 i c g b
Peratomyia Vockeroth, 1987 i g b
Phrosia c g
Plethochaeta i c g b
Pleurochaetella Vockeroth, 1965 i c g b
Pogonota Zetterstedt, 1860 i c g b
Sargella c g
Scathophaga Meigen, 1803 i c g b
Scatogera c g
Spathephilus c g
Spaziphora Rondani, 1856 i c g b
Staegeria Rondani, 1856 i c g b
Suwaia c g
Synchysa Vockeroth, 1987 i g b
Trichopalpus Rondani, 1856 i c g

Data sources: i = ITIS,[1] c = Catalogue of Life,[2] g = GBIF,[3] b = Bugguide.net[4]
References

"Scathophagidae Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
"Browse Scathophagidae". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
"Scathophagidae". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-12.

"Scathophagidae Family Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-12.

Vockeroth, V.R. (1987). "Scathophagidae". Agriculture Canada Monographs. 28: 1085–1097.