Humpback flies
| Humpback flies | ||||||||||||
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Megaselia scalaris |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phoridae | ||||||||||||
| Curtis , 1833 |
The humpback flies (Phoridae) are a family of the two-winged flies (Diptera). Within this they are assigned to the flies (Brachycera). Over 4200 species in more than 300 genera are described worldwide . Furthermore, a large number of still undescribed species is suspected. The humpback flies are common worldwide.
features
The flies reach body sizes between one and seven millimeters. The relatively small flies are usually black, brown or yellow in color. They have an upwardly curved thorax , hence the German name of the family. The small downward-pointing head has two relatively large dark eyes on the sides. The Costa loader at the front edge of the wing only extends up to half the wing length. In addition, there are two distinct longitudinal veins in the Costalfeld . Behind it run 4 to 5 less pronounced longitudinal veins that are not connected to one another by transverse veins. The posterior femora of the flies are enlarged and flattened.
Way of life
The way of life of the humpback flies is very diverse. There are also many species whose way of life is still unexplored. The larvae of several synanthropic species such as Dohrniphora cornuta , Megaselia rufipes , Megaselia scalaris and Puliciphora borinquenensis develop in organic waste. Other species feed on fungi, live as scavengers or predators, or parasitize millipedes or insects.
Systematics
The family is usually divided into the following five subfamilies:
- Aenigmatiinae
- Metopininae
- Phorinae
- Termite Flies (Termitoxeniinae)
- Thaumatoxeninae
There are also a number of genera without subfamily assignment.
Types (selection)
- Apocephalus borealis
- Eibesfeldtphora breviloba
- Eibesfeldtphora digitata
- Euryplatea eidmanni
- Euryplatea nanaknihali
- Megaselia scalaris
- Phalacrotophora fasciata
