Xylomyidae Verrall, 1901

This family of orthorrhaphous Brachycera is closely related to the Stratiomyidae. The body of the adults is slender and mostly medium-sized to long (5.0-20.0 mm); eyes widely separated in both sexes, antennal flagellum eight-segmented, porrect, and scutellum unarmed, without spines; tibial spurs developed on middle and hind tibiae. The larvae resemble the terrestrial larvae of the Stratiomyidae, but the anal slit is bordered anteriorly by a transverse row of strong teeth. The larvae are apparently saproxylic and micropantophagous, and have been reared from beneath loose bark and the rotten wood of deciduous trees. The adult emerges from a T-shaped fissure on the dorsal surface of the puparium and the pupal exuvium remains partly wedged in the fissure. Adult xylomyids regularly occur in the vicinity of their breeding sites.

The European fauna includes eight species in two genera (Rozkošný 2007), and only three of them are included in the present checklist; Solva marginata is common throughout the territory but the other two species are extremely rare. All three species are known in the Czech Republic (two in Bohemia and three in Moravia) but only two species in Slovakia. No additional species has been recorded since the PCV2 (Rozkošný 2007).

The basic characteristics of the family, including a recent key to the Palaearctic genera, with notes on their morphology, development and biology, has been given by Nagatomi and Rozkošný (1997). The Central European species were keyed by Dušek and Rozkošný (1963). Earlier data from the Czech Republic were summarised by Rozkošný and Barták (2000).

For financial support, the Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic and the Masaryk University (grant No. MSM 0021622416 ) are acknowledged.