Scathophagidae, Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830

Šifner, František & R, Czech, 2018, Annotated checklist of the family Scathophagidae (Diptera) in Central Europe, with new faunistics data on some species, Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (2), pp. 1635-1655 : 1636-1637

The family Scathophagidae in Central Europe

Although speialized species might disappear in the course of time, but some of them survived in isolated, ecologically suitable habitats. Position of the zoogeographical boundary between the Hercynian Mts. and Western Carpathians, makes possible the penetration of the Carpahian species more westwards and vice versa. Especially the transition zone of deciduous forests to Pannonian steppes makes possible the spreading of species between Central Europe and the mountains of Balkan. In the territory of the Central Europe the presence of boreal and boreo-montane species is very important. These species are remnants of the last glacial or early postglacial period, being dependent on expansion of the tajga or to some later cold periods; they inhabit higher mountain altitudes, peat bogs or localities with cold microclimate in mixed forest. Many of them have been found in limited areas of the Alps, Carpathians or Hercynian mountains.

BERNASCONI et al. (2000) addressed the problems of phylogeny by carying out analysis based on COI and Cytb sequences, and they confirmed the monophyly of the Scathophagidae within the limits of the muscoid families. The family Scathophagidae was considered by some authors as characteristic family of the northern part of the Palaearctic Region ( Becker 1894, Sack 1937). Howerer, the data on the distribution of some species including discoveries of new species from the southwards areas namely in the Mediterranean subregion do not confirme Becker’s conclusion. In the areas of the Mediterranean Sea are presented 12 species ( ŠIFNER 2008), from the Iberian Penninsula 11 species (CARLES- TOLRÁ 2006), and Norellisoma spinimanum (FALLÉN, 1819) was presently confirmed in Turkey (EREN & OZEROV 2017).

The number of species identified in the individual countries of the Central Europe depends on the level of faunistic and taxonomic research. According to the checklists or catalogues of the particular countries, the numbers of species are following: Austria with 66 species ( FRANZ 1989), Czech Republic with 68 species ( ŠIFNER 2003), Germany with 58 species ( PÜCHEL 1999), Hungary with 40 species ( PAPP 2006), Poland with 74 species (DRABER- MOŃKO 1991), Slovakia with 54 species ( ŠIFNER 2003), and Switzerland with 43 species (MERZ & BÄCHLI 1998). Altogether 166 species are known to occur in whole Europe ( ŠIFNER 2008), and 118 species in 42 genera occur in Central Europe. Only 19 species (16.1%) are common to all countries of Central Europe: Americina media ( BECKER, 1894) , A. vittata (MEIGEN, 1826) , Microprosopa filiformis (ZETTERSTEDT, 1838) , Amaurosoma flavipes (FALLÉN, 1819) , A. tibiellum (ZETTERSTEDT, 1838) , Cleigastra apicalis (MEIGEN, 1826) , Cordilura ciliata (MEIGEN, 1826) , C. picipes (MEIGEN, 1826) , C. rufipes (MEIGEN, 1826) , Phrosia albilabris FABRICIUS, 1805 , Norellisoma spinimanum , N. striolatum (MEIGEN, 1826) , Parallelomma albipes (FALLÉN, 1819) , Chaetosa punctipes (MEIGEN, 1826) , Trichopalpus fraternus (MEIGEN, 1826) , Scathophaga cineraria (MEIGEN, 1826) , S. furcata (SAY, 1823) , S. lutaria (FABRICIUS, 1794) and S. stercoraria (LINNAEUS, 1758) . However, new faunistic discoveries as well as descriptions of newly discovered species from Central Europe promise an increase to 120 or 130 species. Considering the newly published records, the actual numbers of species in individual coutries of the Central Europe are following: from Austria 69 species ( OZEROV 2013), from the Czech Republic 89 species ( ŠIFNER 2008, 2009a,b, 2011a,b, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016a,b,c) from Germany 59 species ( SCHACHT 2003, STUKE & SCHACHT 2009, KASSEBEER 2016), from Hungary 40 species ( PAPP 2006), from Poland 67 species (DRABER- MOŃKO 1991), from Slovakia 64 species ( ŠIFNER 2003) and from Switzerland 46 species (OZEROV 2008, 2010, 2013).

The areas of the Central Europe and its specific habitats are only partially explored, depending on attractiveness of particular areas, combined with their accessibility. The mountain systems, such as the Alps, West and East Carpathians and Hercynians are very important for the penetrantion of cold-loving moutain species in the east–west direction (cf. ŠIFNER 1977), some of them have apparently boreo-alpine distribution, which gives possibility of incipient speciation. The adults occur in sheltered and moist habitats of various types, from wet lowlands to mountain meadows, marches, peat-bogs, seasonal as well as permanent water courses, pools, riparian woodlands etc. The adults are predators hunting small insects, whilst some are coprophagous and perhaps saprophagous. The flying activity of adults in open space is very limited (only overflying), they hunt their prey furtively among the lower parts of vegetation, and may be captured only by pedestrian sweeping or by individual catching with a net, by use of Malaise traps placed to the ground and by use of yellow pan traps; the efficiency of yellow pan traps may by influenced by flowering plants (ŠIFNER 2011). The larvae are phytophagous-mining in leaves or stems, other larvae are predaceous or saprophagous, living in soil or stagnant and running water. KUTTY et al. (2007) demonstrate that phytophagy in the form of leaf mining is the ancestral larval feeding habit for Scathophagidae and from phytophagy, two shifts to saprophagy are one shift to predation have occured while another origin of predation is from a saprophagous ancestor ( BERNASCONI et al. 2000, cf. KUTTY et al. 2007).