Pseudopomyzidae McAlpine, 1966

Jindřich Roháček

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

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, 3 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 1 uncommon species is known in Europe (Merz 2004); 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 2004).

References

[1] McAlpine D.K. & Shatalkin A.I. 1998: 3.8. Family Pseudopomyzidae. In Papp L. & Darvas B. (eds): Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera. Vol. 3., Higher Brachycera. Science Herald, Budapest, pp. 155-163.

[2] Merz B. 2004: Fauna Europaea: Pseudopomyzidae. In Pape T. (ed.): Fauna Europaea: Diptera, Brachycera. Fauna Europaea version 1.1, http://www.faunaeur.org.