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ThefamilySciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of theorderDiptera. They are commonly calledmarsh flies, and in some casessnail-killing flies due to the food of theirlarvae.[2]
Here, theHuttoninidae,Phaeomyiidae andTetanoceridae are provisionally included in the Sciomyzidae. Particularly the latter seem to be an unequivocal part of this group and are ranked astribe ofsubfamilySciomyzinae by most modern authors, while the former two are very small lineages that may or may not stand outside the family and are provisionally ranked as subfamilies here. Whether theSalticellinae and the group aroundSepedon warrant recognition as additional subfamilies or are better included in the Sciomyzinae proper is likewise not yet entirely clear. Altogether, the main point of contention is the relationship between the "Huttoninidae", "Phaeomyiidae", Sciomyzidaesensu stricto, and theHelosciomyzidae which were also once included in the Sciomyzidae.
Sciomyzidae are small or medium-sized (2–14 mm), usually slender flies with predominantly dull grey, brown, reddish or yellow body, rarely black-lustrous. Wings hyaline, often with dark spots or dark reticulate pattern. The head is semispherical or round. The antennae are usually elongate and the arista is pubescent or has shorter or longer hairs. Ocelli and ocellar bristles are present (absent inSepedon). The postvertical bristles are divergent or parallel. There are one or two pairs of frontal bristles which curve backward (the lower pair sometimes curving inward) Interfrontal bristles are absent but interfrontal setulae are sometimes present. Vibrissae are absent. The wing is clear or with conspicuous markings. The costa is continuous and the subcosta is complete. Crossvein BM-Cu is present and the anal cell (cell cup) is closed. Tibiae almost always have a dorsal preapical bristle.
Marsh flies are common along the edges of ponds and rivers, and in marshy areas. The adults drink dew andnectar. Thelarvae prey on or becomeparasites ofgastropods (slugs and snails). The occasional sciomyzid attacks snail eggs orfingernail clams.[3] Very little is known about the completelife cycle of these flies but most of the known larvae are semi-aquatic and some are aquatic. Other species have terrestrial larvae. Larvae mainly prey on non-operculate snails. Some species which prey on bivalves have larvae adapted to breathing under water. In some terrestrial species the penultimate larval instar emerges from the snail or slug it developed in. The last instar is then predatory on several snails.
The adults rest on vegetation head down. According to the larval habitat, they are found near water, in marshy vegetation, in woodland or occasionally dry open habitats.
Stackelberg, A.A. Family Sciomyzidae inBei-Bienko, G. Ya, 1988Keys to the insects of the European Part of the USSR Volume 5 (Diptera) Part 2 English edition. Keys to Palaearctic species but now needs revision.
Séguy, E. (1934) Diptères: Brachycères. II. Muscidae acalypterae, Scatophagidae. Paris: Éditions Faune de France 28.virtuelle numérique
^abcCresson, Ezra Townsend (1920). "A Revision of the Nearctic Sciomyzidae (Diptera, Acalyptratae)".Transactions of the American Entomological Society.46 (1):27–89.JSTOR25077025.
^Sack, Pius (1939). "Sciomyzidae".Die Fliegen der Paläarktischen Region.125 (1, 2, 3).
^Marinoni, Luciane; Zumbado, Manuel A.; Knutson, Lloyd. "A new genus and species of Sciomyzidae (Diptera) from the Neotropical Region".Zootaxa.540 (1).ISSN1175-5334.
^abcdefMalloch, John Russell (1933). "Acalyptrata; Heleomyzidae, Trypetidae, Sciomyzidae, Sapromyzidae".Diptera of Patagonia and South Chile.6 (4):177–389.
^abEnderlein, Günther (1939). "Zur Kenntnis der Klassifikation der Tetanoceriden (Diptera)".Veröffentlichungen aus dem Deutschen Kolonial- und Übersee-Museum in Bremen.2 (3):201–210.
^abcdefghijklKnutson, Lloyd Vernon; Vala, Jean-Claude (2011).Biology of Snail-Killing Sciomyzidae Flies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–526.ISBN978-0521867856.
^abcdVerbeke, J. (1950)."Sciomyzidae (Diptera Cyclorrhapha)"(PDF).Exploration du Parc National Albert (Mission G. F. DE WITTE, 1933-1935).63:1–97. Retrieved6 November 2018.
^abcTonnoir, A. L.; Malloch, J. R. (1928). "New Zealand Muscidae Acalyptratae. Part IV. Sciomyzidae".Records of the Canterbury Museum.3 (3):151–179.
^abBarnes, Jeffrey K. (1980). "Taxonomy of the New Zealand genusEulimnia, and biology and immature stages of E. philpotti (Diptera: Sciomyzidae)".New Zealand Journal of Zoology.7:91–103.doi:10.1080/03014223.1980.10423766.
^Steyskal, George C. (1954). "Colobaea andHedria, Two Genera of Sciomyzidae New to America (Diptera: Acalyptratae)".The Canadian Entomologist.86 (2):60–65.doi:10.4039/Ent8660-2.S2CID85786311.
^abHendel, F. (1900). "Untersuchungen über die europäischen Arten der Gattung Tetanocera im Sinne Schiner's. Eine dipterologische Studie".Verhandlungen der Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien.50:319–358.
^Perty, M. (1833).Delectus animalium articulatorum quae in itinere per Brasiliam annis MDCCCXVII-MDCCCXX jussu et auspiciis Maximiliani Josephi I. Bavariae regis augustissimi peracto collegerunt Dr. J.B. de Sphix et Dr. C.F. Ph. De Martius. Munich. pp. 189, pl. 37.
^Knutson, L. V. (1968). "A new genus and species of Sciomyzidae from Tanzania, with a key to the genera of the Ethiopian Region and distributional notes".Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa.31 (1):175–180.
