Xylomyidae Verrall, 1901

Rudolf Rozkošný

Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, CZ-611 37 Brno, Czech Republic; rozk@sci.muni.cz

This family of orthorrhaphous Brachycera is closely related to the Stratiomyidae. The body of the adults is slender and mostly medium-sized to long (5.0-20.0 mm); eyes widely separated in both sexes, antennal flagellum eight-segmented, porrect, and scutellum unarmed, without spines; tibial spurs developed on middle and hind tibiae. The larvae resemble the terrestrial larvae of the Stratiomyidae, but the anal slit is bordered anteriorly by a transverse row of strong teeth. The larvae are apparently saproxylic and micropantophagous, and have been reared from beneath loose bark and the rotten wood of deciduous trees. The adult emerges from a T-shaped fissure on the dorsal surface of the puparium and the pupal exuvium remains partly wedged in the fissure. Adult xylomyids regularly occur in the vicinity of their breeding sites.

The European fauna includes 8 species in two genera (Rozkošný 2005), and only 3 of them are included in the present checklist; Solva marginata is common throughout the territory but the other two species are extremely rare. All three species are known in the Czech Republic (2 in Bohemia and 3 in Moravia) but only 2 species in Slovakia. No additional species has been recorded since the previous checklist (Rozkošný 1997).

The basic characteristics of the family, including a recent key to the Palaearctic genera, with notes on their morphology, development and biology, has been given by Nagatomi and Rozkošný (1997). The Central European species were keyed by Dušek and Rozkošný (1963). Earlier data from the Czech Republic were summarised by Rozkošný and Barták (2000).

For financial support, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic and the Masaryk University (grant No. MSM 0021622416 ) are acknowledged.

References

[1] Dušek J. & Rozkošný R. 1963: Revision mitteleuropäischer Arten der Familie Stratiomyidae (Diptera) mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Fauna der ČSSR I. Časopis České společnosti entomologické 60: 202-231.

[2] Nagatomi A. & Rozkošný R. 1997: Family Xylomyidae. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera (with special reference to flies of economic importance). Vol. 2. Nematocera and Lower Brachycera. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 369-378.

[3] Rozkošný R. 1997: Xylomyidae. In Chvála M. (ed.): Check List of Diptera (Insecta) of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Karolinum – Charles University Press, Prague, p. 44.

[4] Rozkošný R. 2005: Fauna Europaea: Xylomyidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Brachycera. Fauna Europaea version 1.2. http://www.faunaeur.org.

[5] Rozkošný R. & Barták M. 2000: Xylomyidae. In Barták M. & Vaňhara M. (eds): Diptera in an industrially affected region (north-western Bohemia, Bílina and Duchcov environs). Vol. 1. Folia Facultatis Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Masarykianae Brunensis, Biologia 104: 139-140.