| Scatopsidae | |
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| Minute black scavenger flies onoxeye daisy. | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Nematocera |
| Infraorder: | Bibionomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Scatopsoidea |
| Family: | Scatopsidae Newman, 1834 |
| Subfamilies | |
Theminute black scavenger flies or"dung midges", are a family,Scatopsidae, ofnematoceranflies. Despite being distributed throughout the world, they form 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 5 mm), generally similar toblack flies (Simuliidae), but usually lacking the humpedthorax characteristic of that family.
Thelarvae of most species are unknown, but the few that have been studied have a rather flattened shape and areterrestrial andsaprophagous.
Scatopsids are a well established group andfossils are known fromamber deposits dating back to theCretaceous period.
Scatopse notata (Linnaeus, 1758) is acosmopolitan species. Its larval stages are found in decaying plant and animal material.
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Adult Scatopsidae are 0.6-5.0 mm long. They can be distinguished from other fly families by their wings and relatively shortantennae.[1] The wing has strong veins along the anterior margin while the remaining veins are generally weak, and the fork of vein Cu is at the wing base.[2]
The larvae are dorsoventrally flattened with an exerted head capsule, meaning it cannot be retracted. They have a peripneusticrespiratory system. Some taxa havespiracles on protuberances.[3]
Eggs of Scatopsidae are laid on moist substrates in crescent-shaped masses of about 50-300 eggs. Females shortly after laying. The eggs take about 35 days to hatch, though it depends on temperature.[4]
The life cycle take 3–4 weeks to complete in the common speciesCoboldia fuscipes andS. notata. The adult stage is generally quite short, usually 2-3 or 4–5 days.[4]
Adult Scatopsidae live in various habitats, though they are more frequent and diverse in open, fresh and marshy habitats. Some species are known to feed on flowers, especiallyApiaceae.[4]
Larvae live in various kinds of decomposing organic matter. Plant matter is preferred by Scatopsini and Swammerdamellini, withEctaetia living in rotten wood,Arthria andRhexoza under bark of decaying trees, andEctaetia andHoloplagia in tree holes. Various genera are terricolous (living in soil), withAspistes in sandy soils,Parascatopse in saltings, some Psectrosciarinae and Rhegmoclematini in wet/marshy soils, andApiloscatopse in forest leaf litter. Fungi are used byCoboldia fuscipes as well as species ofScatopse andApiloscatopse. Various genera includingScatopse,Coboldia,Cookella andAnapausis live in dung. Animal matter such as carrion is used byScatopse andCoboldia. A few species ofColobostema andHoloplagia aremyrmecophilous (associated with ants), and presumably feed on debris in ant nests. There are even some Scatopsinae which are aquatic, living in forest springs and presumably feeding on waterlogged dead leaves.[4]
Larvae ofC. fuscipes andS. notata have also been reported from the waste ofcanneries andwineries.[5]
Scatopsidae may form swarms of up to thousands of individuals, sometimes including several species at once, possibly for reproduction. Scatopsidae mate in a tail-tail position and mating can last for a long time. One species,Thripomorpha halterata, has been observed doing rhythmic wing movements while swarming, which may be acourtship behaviour.[4]
The family name Scatopsidae literally translates to "looks like feces" (from Greekskat "dung" andopsi "appearance"). It is derived from the genusScatopse, which has been frequently misspelled asScatops.[citation needed]
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