Acartophthalmidae Czerny, 1928

Jindřich Roháček

Department of Entomology, Silesian Museum, Tyršova 1, CZ-746 01 Opava, Czech Republic; rohacek@szmo.cz

Minute to small (1.0-2.5 mm), dark flies characterised by only a humeral break on C, complete Sc, orbital setae reclinate to exlinate (never inclinate), divergent postvertical setae, and absence of true vibrissae. Tibiae without dorsal preapical setae. Male postabdomen almost symmetrical, with 6th tergum absent and 6th sternum joined to dorsal pregenital sclerite (being almost symmetrical and composed of the fused 7th and 8th sternum) on both sides. Epandrium with distinct ventral lobe in front of free gonostylus. Female postabdomen telescopic, retractible, with reduced sclerites and long, slender cerci. Adults occur on various decaying substrates (fungi, carrion, dung, even decaying grass), usually in woodland habitats. The saprophagous larvae of Acartophthalmus bicolor Oldenberg, 1910 were found by Ozerov (1987) in carrion; however, the other species may also develop in other kinds of rotten organic media (Máca & Roháček 1983, Papp & Ozerov 1998).

Only 3 species in one genus (Acartophthalmus Czerny, 1902) are known in Europe (Ozerov 2004); all are also listed in the present checklist (2 in the Czech Republic, 2 in Bohemia, 2 in Moravia, and 3 in Slovakia). Since the last version of the checklist, one species has been added (only to the Slovak fauna) by Roháček (2001). The family was treated in detail by Papp and Ozerov (1998); all known species can be identified by means of Ozerov (1986). The nomenclature used here follows that in the Fauna Europaea (Ozerov 2004).

References

[1] Máca J. & Roháček J. 1983: Přehled nálezů druhů čeledi Acartophthalmidae (Diptera) v Československu. Časopis Slezského muzea Opava (A) 32: 233-237.

[2] Papp L. & Ozerov A.L. 1998: 3.17. Family Acartophthalmidae. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Vol. 3., Higher Brachycera. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 227-232.

[3] Ozerov A. L. 1986: [Review of the family Acartophthalmidae (Diptera), with description of a new species.] Zoologicheskij Zhurnal 65: 807-809. (in Russian).

[4] Ozerov A. L. 1987: Morfologiya preimaginalnykh stadiy i biologiya Acartophthalmus bicolor Oldenberg (Diptera, Acartophthalmidae). Biologicheskie nauki 6: 32-35.

[5] Ozerov A.L. 2004: Fauna Europaea: Acartophthalmidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Brachycera. Fauna Europaea version 1.1, http://www.faunaeur.org.

[6] Roháček J. 2001: Faunistic records: Acartophthalmidae. In Chvála M. (ed.): Dipterologica bohemoslovaca Vol. 10. Acta Universitatis Carolinae, Biologica 45: 193.