BRACHYCERA, Muscomorpha Schizophora Acalyptratae, Diopsoidea

Number of British species: 1

Size: M

Difficulty: 2

Study group: Covered by the Stilt and Stalk fly study group

Small to medium sized (3.5-5.5 mm), slender, largely black flies with yellowish legs. Arista short pubescent; ocelli present; Ocellar bristles present; Postvertical bristles diverging; 2 pairs of frontal bristles; interfrontal bristles absent; vibrissae absent. Wing clear with vague markings in the central part or at the wing tip; Costa with a subcostal break; vein Sc incomplete; crossvein BM-Cu present; cell cup closed. Tibiae without dorsal preapical bristle.

The biology of the European species is little known. The larvae live under bark of dying or decaying deciduous trees, apparently with a preference for wet, dead ash wood. The adults occur on low vegetation in wet deciduous forests near the breeding sites of the larvae.

Cole (1981)