Sepsidae

Belongs within: Schizophora.

The Sepsidae are a group of mostly slender flies whose larvae feed on decaying organic matter, most commonly mammal faeces. Many species of the family are superficially ant-like in appearance and they have a habit of continuously waving the wings when at rest (Colless & McAlpine 1991). Males often have modified fore legs that are used to grasp the female’s wings during mating (Silva 2010).

The Holarctic Orygma luctuosum is a robust, bristly species that also differs from other sepsids in the possession of three (rather than no) pairs of strong orbital bristles and a uniformly coarsely setose scutellum. As a result, it is separated in its own subfamily from the remaining species in the Sepsinae (Steyskal 1987).

Characters (from Silva 2010): Small to medium-sized (body length 2–7 mm), slender. Body usually brown to blackish, sometimes shining or with metallic purplish colour. Wing hyaline, dark spot sometimes present near tip. Head more or less globular; eye large; vibrissa absent but vibrissal angle bearing several strong setae; antenna short with arista bare; palpus usually minute. Thorax usually shining, sometimes dull dorsally; anepisternum with some whitish pruinose areas. Male forefemur and tibia often modified, with bristles, spines, tubercles or emarginations used to grasp base of wing of females during copulation. Abdomen narrow, sometimes with basal constriction.

<==SepsidaeS10
    |--Orygma [Orygmatinae]S10
    |    `--O. luctuosumS87
    `--SepsinaeS10
         |--ToxopodiniS10
         |--SaltellaS87 [SaltelliniS10]
         |    |--S. scutellarisK01
         |    `--S. sphondyliiS87
         |--Palaeosepsis [Palaeosepsini]S10
         |    |--P. dentataS10
         |    `--P. dentatiformisS10
         `--SepsiniS10
              |--Themira putrisS87
              |--Enicita annulipesS87
              |--Enicomira minorS87
              |--Meropliosepsis sexsetosaS87, S10
              |--Decachaetophora aeneipesS87
              |--SepsidimorphaS87
              |--MeropliusS87
              |    |--M. albuquerqueiS10
              |    `--M. stercorariusS87
              |--NemopodaS87
              |    |--N. algiraL49
              |    |--N. cylindrica [=Calobata cylindrica; incl. Sepsis nitidula, Nemopoda putris]L49
              |    `--N. nitidulaS87
              `--SepsisS10
                   |--S. cynipsea (Linnaeus 1758)S10, L58 [=Musca cynipseaL49, Micropeza cynipseaL49]
                   |--S. flavimanaL49
                   |--S. neocynipseaS87
                   |--S. punctumS10 [=Tephritis punctumL49]
                   |--S. secundaS10
                   `--S. violaceaL49

Sepsidae incertae sedis:
  Lateosepsis laticornisS10
  Pseudopalaeosepsis nigricoxaS10
  Palaeosepsioides neotropicanusS10
  Australosepsis niveipennisCM91
  Parapalaeosepsis plebeiaCM91
  MicrosepsisS10
    |--M. armillataS10
    |--M. furcataS10
    `--M. simpliculaS10
  ArchisepsisS10
    |--A. discolorS10
    |--A. ecalcarataS10
    |--A. polychaetaS10
    `--A. pusioS10
  Protorygma electricumRJ93

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[CM91] Colless, D. H., & D. K. McAlpine. 1991. Diptera (flies). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 717–786. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[K01] Kertész, K. 1901. Legyek [Dipteren]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 179–201. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis revised 10th ed. vol. 1. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[L49] Lucas, H. 1849. Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842 publiée par ordre du gouvernement et avec le concours d’une commission académique. Sciences physiques. Zoologie. II. Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés. Troisième partie. Insectes (suite). Imprimerie Nationale: Paris.

[RJ93] Ross, A. J., & E. A. Jarzembowski. 1993. Arthropoda (Hexapoda; Insecta). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 363–426. Chapman & Hall: London.

[S10] Silva, V. C. 2010. Sepsidae (black scavenger flies). In: Brown, B. V., A. Borkent, J. M. Cumming, D. M. Wood, N. E. Woodley & M. A. Zumbado (eds) Manual of Central American Diptera vol. 2 pp. 1031–1039. NRC Research Press: Ottawa.

[S87] Steyskal, G. C. 1987. Sepsidae. In: McAlpine, J. F. (ed.) Manual of Nearctic Diptera vol. 2 pp. 945–950. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada.