|
Medium-sized (6.0-9.0 mm), elongate, shining black flies with
reddish to yellow femora. Head relatively small, rounded; ocelli
present; arista short-pubescent; ptilinal suture H-shaped; ocellar,
postvertical (postocellar) and interfrontal setae absent, 0-1 fronto-orbital
seta. Anterior part of thorax without setae (i.e. humeral, anterior
notopleural, presutural and anterior dorsocentral setae absent);
metapleuron and metasternum together forming a prominent base for
the attachment of hind coxa. Wing narrowed basally, unicolourous,
unmarked. Costa continuous, subcosta complete, cells bm and cup
present, A1 reaching wing margin. Tibiae
lacking dorsal preapical setae; hind femur swollen and ventrally
spinose. Abdomen narrowly attached to thorax, effectively hinge-like
at junction. The larvae live under the bark of dead or dying
deciduous trees and are predatory or necrophagous on the larvae of
other subcorticolous insects. The adults can be found in woodland
areas, usually near the breeding sites of the larvae, on tree trunks
and leaves.
This small family is mainly distributed in the Oriental Region and
the East Palaearctic area; only one uncommon species, Megamerina
dolium (Fabricius, 1805), reaches Europe (Ozerov
2007); it has also been recorded from the Czech Republic (both
Bohemia and Moravia) and Slovakia, and was also listed from these
territories in the earlier version of this checklist. The family is
characterized by Krivosheina et al. (1996)
and McAlpine (1997);
the sole European species can be identified by means of Krivosheina
et al. (1996)
or by any key to the families of Diptera. The nomenclature used here
follows that in the Fauna Europaea (Ozerov
2007).
|
