Anthomyiidae Latreille, 1829

Olga Komzáková

Research Institute for Fodder Crops, Ltd. Troubsko, Zahradní 1, 664 41 Troubsko, Czech Republic; komzakova@vupt.cz

Typical muscoid flies of small to medium size, and yellow, brown, grey or black in colour. The distinguishing characteristic of this family is that vein A1 extends to the wing margin. This feature separates Anthomyiidae from the related families Muscidae and Fanniidae.

Anthomyiid flies are a relatively large and economically important family of Diptera. The larvae are primarily phytophagous (Botanophila, Delia, Chirosia, Pegomya, Phorbia) and some of them are important pests in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. They feed on different kinds of cereals and vegetables or on the cones of coniferous trees (Strobilomyia). The larvae of some species may be found in fungi (Botanophila, Pegomya), whilst others develop in decaying organic material (Hylemya urbica, Mycophaga testacea) or in the excrement of mammals or in birds' nests. A few larvae are parasitoids (Acyglossa) or cleptoparasites (Eustalomyia, Leucophora).

Approximately 600 species have been found in Europe (Michelsen 2005) and of these 220 species have been recorded in the Czech Republic (Barták et al. 1990, Komzáková et al. 2006, Meixnerová & Rozkošný 1999, Michelsen & Barták 2001, Rozkošný 1997) and 158 in the Slovak Republic (Rozkošný 1997). Since the last version of the checklist, the number of species has increased by 22 in the Czech Republic and by 1 in the Slovak Republic which was overlooked in the previous version. 4 species have been renamed since publication of the previous version. The anthomyiid fauna has been well researched in the Czech Republic, but has not been studied in Slovakia during the past decade, and so many new records from this area can be expected.

The basic manual for the identification of the species is Hennig's monograph in Lindner's Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region (Hennig 1966-1976). Some later revisions may be found in e.g. Ackland (1970, 1993), Michelsen (1979, 1980a, b, 1988a, b, 1994), Michelsen and Baéz (1985) and Ackland and Michelsen (1987). A recent key to the Palaearctic genera was prepared by Suwa and Darwas (1998). The nomenclature of the Fauna Europaea (Michelsen 2005) is used in the present checklist.

Note: The list of anthomyiids on the website of the Fauna Europaea (Michelsen 2005) gives 234 species for the Czech Republic and 158 for Slovakia. The numbers recorded in the present checklist are lower because only those records of species new to the fauna that have been published and with their localities recorded have been included here.

References

[1] Ackland D. M. 1970: Notes on the Palearctic species of Egle R.-D. (Dipt., Anthomyiidae) with description of two new species. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 105: 185-192.

[2] Ackland D. M. 1993: Revisionary notes on genus Phorbia (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) with description of three new species from Czech Republic and Georgia (Palearctic Region). European Journal of Entomology 90: 209-226.

[3] Ackland D. M. & Michelsen V. 1987: The Palearctic species of Phorbia curvicauda (Zetterstedt) group (Diptera: Anthomyiidae). Entomologica scandinavica 17: 423-432.

[4] Barták M., Michelsen V. & Rozkošný R.1990: New records of Anthomyiidae from Czechoslovakia, with revised check list of Czechoslovak species (Diptera). Skripta Facultatis Scientiarium Naturalium Universitatis Purkyniensis Brunensis 20: 439-450.

[5] Chandler P.J. 1998: Anthomyiidae. In Checklists of Insects of the British Isles (New Series), Part 1: Diptera, Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. Royal Entomological Society, pp. 165-170.

[6] Griffiths G.C.D. 1994: Anthomyiidae. In Flies of Nearctic Region, Volume 8 Part 2 No. 14, Cyclorrhapha II (Schizophora: Calyptratae), E. Schweizerbart's Verlagsbuchhandlung, Stuttgart, pp. 2388-2391.

[7] Hennig W. 1966-1976: Anthomyiidae. In Lindner E. (ed.): Die Fliegen der palaearktischen Region. Vol. 7 (1). Schweizerbart, Stuttgart, 974 + 28 pp.

[8] Komzáková O., Barták M. & Kubík Š. 2006: Anthomyiidae. In Barták M. & Kubík Š. (eds): Diptera on Podyjí National park and its environs. ČZU Praha, 425 pp.

[9] Meixnerová O. & Rozkošný R. 1999: Anthomyiidae. In Rozkošný R. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera of the Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO, II. Folia Facultatis Scientiarium Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 100: 379-386.

[10] Michelsen V. 1979: Identity of Musca conformis Fallén, 1825, with a new synonymy in genus Pegomya Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera, Anthomyiidae). Entomologica scandinavica 10: 257-258.

[11] Michelsen V. 1980a: The Anthomyia pluvialis komplex in Europe (Diptera, Anthomyiidae). Systematic Entomology 5: 281-290.

[12] Michelsen V. 1980b: A revision of the beet leaf-miner complex, Pegomya hyoscyami s. lat. (Diptera, Anthomyiidae). Entomologica scandinavica 11: 297-309.

[13] Michelsen V. 1988a: A world revision of Strobilomyia gen.n.: the anthomyiid seed pests of conifers (Diptera, Anthomyiidae). Systematic Entomology 13: 271-314. 

[14] Michelsen V. 1988b: Taxonomy of the species of Pegomya (Diptera, Anthomyiidae) developing in the shots of spurgers (Euphorbia spp.). Entomologica scandinavica 18: 425-435.

[15] Michelsen V. 1994: The southern Palearctic genus Enneastigma Stein (Diptera: Anthomyiidae): Taxonomy of Mediterranean species, phylogeny and ancestral areas analysis. Entomologica scandinavica 25: 361‑375.

[16] Michelsen V. 2005: Fauna Europaea: Anthomyiidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europea: Diptera, Brachycera. Fauna Europaea Version 1.2, http://www.faunaeur.org.

[17] Michelsen V. & Baéz M. 1985: The Anthomyiidae (Diptera) of Canary Islands. Entomologica scandinavica 16: 227-304.

[18] Michelsen V. & Barták M. 2001: Anthomyiidae. In: Barták M. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera in an Industrially Affected Region (North -Western Bohemia, Bílina and Duchcov Environs) II. Folia Facultatis Scientiarium Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 105: 455-462.

[19] Rozkošný R. 1997: Anthomyiidae. In: Chvála M. (ed.): Check List of Diptera (Insecta) of The Czech and Slovak republics. Karolinum-Charles University Press, Prague, pp. 90-92.

[20] Suwa M. & Darvas B. 1998: Family Anthomyiidae. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Contributions to a Manual Palaearctic Diptera (with special reference to flies of economic importance). Vol. 3. Higher Brachycera. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 571-616.