Family SCIOMYZIDAE
Marsh Flies
Compiler and date details
October 2010 - Scott Ginn, Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia
Introduction
The fly family Sciomyzidae has a worldwide distribution with some 600 species described in about 60 genera. Sciomyzidae is divided into four subfamilies, of which only two subfamilies Sciomyzinae and Phaeomyiinae are represented in Australia. The Australian sciomyzid fauna is small with only 10 species currently recognised. The former subfamily Huttonininae, which was elevated to family status Huttoninidae is found only in New Zealand and is not treated here.
Larvae of sciomyzid flies are predators or parasitoids of a variety of molluscs, including clams and particularly snails, both terrestrial and aquatic, and also millipedes. As a result of these associations, study of the biology of this family of Diptera has been substantial, with the lifecycles of more than 200 species recorded. In Hawaii, several species have been used as biological control agents. Pelidnoptera nigripennis (Fabricius) has been introduced in South Australia to combat a pest millipede species that was acccidentally introduced from Portugal. It is the sole representative of the subfamily Phaeomyiinae (treated as family Phaeomyiidae in some publications) in Australia. It is unknown whether the species has become established since its introduction.
General References
Bailey, P.T. 1989. The millipede parasitoid Pelidnoptera nigripennis (F.) (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) for the biological control of the millipede Ommatoiulus moreleti (Lucas) (Diplopoda: Julida: Julidae) in Australia. Bulletin of Entomological Research 79(3): 381-391
Barnes, J.K & Knutson, L.V. 1989. Family Sciomyzidae. pp. 566-569 in Evenhuis, N.L. (ed.). Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions. Honolulu and Leiden : Bishop Museum Press and E.J. Brill 1155 pp. [online version, accessed 2010, http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/aocat/sciomyzidae.html original by Barnes & Knutson: last revison 4 June 2007]
Hamilton, J. et al. 2006. On the Fly, The interactive atlas and key to Australian fly families. [CD-Rom] CBIT & Australian Biological Resources Study, Brisbane & Canberra
Vala, J.C., Bailey, P.T. and Gasc, C. 1990. Immature stages of the fly Pelidnoptera nigripennis (Fabricius) (Diptera: Phaeomyiidae), a parasitoid of millipedes. Systematic Entomology 15: 391-399