Heleomyzidae Bezzi, 1911

Kateřina Dvořáková

Rohanov 60, CZ-384 73 Stachy, Czech Republic; k.marsova@seznam.cz

The family includes small, medium-sized and large species, usually dark yellow, ochre and grey in colour, often with spotted wings. Crossed postorbital setae present, vibrissal setae present (sometimes two pairs), wing with costa spinose and interrupted near junction with subcosta, dorsal preapical seta present on tibiae. Members of this family are usually forest species, saprophagous, mycetophagous, coprophagous and necrophagous. Several species are phytophagous. The larvae often develop in birds' nests and vertebrates' burrows. Most species are psychrophilous, and adults of some species regularly enter subterranean areas during the warmest months. These shelters are also used for hibernation. Some species live in caves throughout their entire life cycle and their development is not restricted to any specific period. The biology and ecology of many species is unknown.

Altogether 145 species are known to occur in Europe and adjacent areas according to the Fauna Europaea (Woźnica 2005). 87 are listed in the present checklist (81 in Bohemia, 73 in Moravia and 74 in Slovakia). Since the last version of the checklist, the number of species in the Czech Republic has decreased by 1, because one has been synonymized, but has increased by 3 in Bohemia and by 5 in Moravia; in Slovakia the number of species has remained unchanged. The species richness of the heleomyzid fauna is well known in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, thanks to the work of the late Doc. Ing. Vladislav Martinek CSc.

The Czech and Slovak species of Heleomyzidae can be identified using Gorodkov (1970) and Papp (1981).

The author wishes to thank Dr Andrzej Woźnica (Warsaw, Poland) for invaluable information on heleomyzid taxonomy and distribution.

References

[1] Dvořáková-Marsová K., Martinek V., Barták M. & Kubík Š. 2005: Heleomyzidae. In Barták M. & Kubík Š. (eds): Diptera of Podyjí National Park and its Environs. Praha, pp. 325-331.

[2] Dvořáková K. & Martinek V. Faunistic records from the Czech Republic. Diptera: Heleomyzidae. Klapalekiana 42: 128.

[3] Gorodkov K.B. 1970: Heleomyzidae. In Bej-Bjenko G. J. (ed.): Opredělitěl nasekomych evropejskoj časti SSSR. Dvukrylije, blochy. Nauka, Leningrad, pp. 306-325.

[4] Košel V., Dvořáková K. & Martinek V. 2006: Faunistic records from the Czech and Slovak Republics. Heleomyzidae. In Kinkorová J. (ed.): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca Vol. 13. Acta Universitatis Carolinae – Biologica 50: 155.

[5] Martinek V. 1999: Heleomyzidae. In Rozkošný R. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera of the Pálava Biosphere reserve of UNESCO II. Folia Facultatis Scientarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 100: 337-341.

[6] Martinek V. 2001: New or scarce Acalyptrate flies (Diptera) found in the forest of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Journal of Forest Science 47: 523-528.

[7] Martinek V. & Barták M. 2001: Heleomyzidae. In Barták M. & Vaňhara J. (eds): Diptera in an Idustrially Affected Region (north-western Bohemia, Bílina and Duchcov Environs) II. Folia Facultatis Scientarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 105: 401-406.

[8] Papp L. 1981: Tüskésszárnyú - Heleomyzidae. Fauna Hungariae 149: 1-77.

[9] Papp L. & Woźnica A. 1993: A revision of the palaearctic species of Gymnomus Loew (Diptera, Heleomyzidae). Acta Zoologica Hungarica 39: 175-210.

[10] Withers P. 1987: The British species of the genus Suillia (Diptera, Heleomyzidae), including a species new to science. Proceedings & Transactions of the British Entomological & Natural History Society 20: 91-104.

[11] Woźnica A. 2003: Two new synonyms of the Old World representatives of the genus Suillia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Heleomyzidae: Suilliinae). Polskie Pismo Entomologiczne 72: 349-357.

[12] Woźnica A. 2005: Fauna Europaea: Heleomyzidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera Brachycera. Fauna Europaea version 1.2, http://www.faunaeur.org.