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The family Coenomyiidae resembles some Tabanidae
but is most closely related to the Xylophagidae. The single European
species is mostly large (12.0-22.0 mm), stout, yellowish-brown to
brownish-black. Eyes densely haired, contiguous in males and
well-separated in females. Basal antennal segments short, and
flagellum consisting of eight flagellomeres. Thorax robust and scutellum
armed with two spines; apical spurs distinct on all tibiae. The
larvae are characterised by the dark head capsule and a large
sclerotised posterodorsal anal plate. The larvae live under bark and
in decaying wood, and are considered to be predaceous upon other
insect larvae. Adults occur mostly in old humid forests.
The single European species is Holarctic in
distribution and is well-known in virtually all parts of the Czech
Republic as well as in Slovakia (Rozkošný
1997). It is included in the Fauna Europaea (Rozkošný
2007) and in a review of the Palaearctic genera of this family (Nagatomi
& Rozkošný 1997).
For financial support,
the Ministry of Education
of the Czech Republic and the Masaryk University, Brno
(grant No. MSM 0021622416 ) are acknowledged.
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