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Minute to small (1.7-5.5 mm), usually dark
coloured acalyptrate flies. Head with ocelli, ocellar setae and long
vibrissae present, postvertical setae convergent, three reclinate
frontal (orbital) setae, no interfrontal setae; antenna porrect;
arista dorsal, pubescent. Wing hyaline, unpatterned. Thorax with 1-4
scapular setae and 4-5 dorsocentral setae. C with humeral (weak) and
subcostal breaks; Sc incomplete; cross-vein bm-cu absent; cell cup
closed. Tibiae without dorsopreapical setae. Male genitalia with
epandrium elongate, trough-like. Female postabdomen with a cone-like
ovipositor formed by fused sclerites of 7th segment. The biology of
the Pseudopomyzidae is poorly known. The larvae of the only European
species probably develop in rotting logs or under bark. Adults can
be found attracted to the freshly cut and sappy stumps or logs of
deciduous trees.
Only one uncommon species is known in Europe (Merz
2007); it has been recorded from the Czech Republic (both in
Bohemia and Moravia) as well as from Slovakia, and was included in
the last version of the checklist. Current knowledge of the family
was summarised by McAlpine and Shatalkin (1998)
who also gave a key to Palaearctic genera which can also be used for
the identification of the only European species. The nomenclature
follows that in the Fauna Europaea (Merz
2007).
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