Adults are medium-sized to large flies (body
length 5.0-15.0 mm). Postvertical setae parallel to diverging,
vibrissae absent, and dorsal preapical setae on tibiae present. Wing
venation complete, i.e. costa unbroken and subcosta not reduced. The
immature stages are known only for two species. The larvae live in
decaying carion, excrement and rotting fungi. The adults are
frequently found in forests in shaded humid places with low
vegetation, searching for flowing sap and suitable pabula for the
development of their larvae.
Only four species in two genera are known in Europe (Carles-Torlá
2007), and three of them are common in Central Europe. These were
also recorded from the Czech Republic and from Slovakia in the
PCV2 (Martinek
1997). The number of species is very probably final because the
fourth European species is known only from Finland and Sweden.
The basic characteristics of the family in the
Palaearctic region have been given by Ozerov (1998),
and all the Central European species can be reliably distinguished
using the keys by Czerny (1930)
and Falk (2005).
Earlier faunistic data are summarised by Martinek and Barták (2001).
For financial support, the
Ministry of Education
of the Czech Republic
and the Masaryk University
(grant No. MSM 0021622416 ) are acknowledged.
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