Scatopsidae
Encyclopedia
The minute black scavenger flies or "dung midges", Scatopsidae, is a family of Nematocera
n 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 larva
e 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 fossil
s 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.
Nematocera
Nematocera , is a suborder of elongated flies with thin, segmented antennae and mostly aquatic larvae, consisting of the mosquitoes, crane flies, gnats, and midges....
n flies
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
. 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
Black fly
A black fly is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. They are related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. There are over 1,800 known species of black flies . Most species belong to the immense genus Simulium...
(Simuliidae) but usually lacking the humped thorax
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
characteristic of that family.
The larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of most species are unknown but the few that have been studied have a rather flattened shape and are terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
and saprophagous.
Scatopsids are a well established group and fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s are known from amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
deposits dating back to the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period.
Scatopse notata (Linnaeus, 1758) is a cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
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.Species descriptions
- Cook, E.F. (1969). A synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the Palaearctic Part I. Rhegmoclematini. Journal of Natural HistoryJournal of Natural HistoryThe Journal of Natural History is a scientific journal published by Taylor & Francis focusing on entomology and zoology. The journal was established in 1841 under the name Annals and Magazine of Natural History and obtained its current title in 1967...
3(3): 393-407 (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.
- Cook, E.F. (1974). A Synopsis of the Scatopsidae of the palaearctic Part III. The Scatopsini. Journal of Natural History 8(1): 61-100
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. PDF fulltext
