Diagnosis. Very small to small flies, length 1.5-6.0 mm. Head usually with reddish eyes (when alive); antennae with branched, plumose or micro-pubescent arista; frons with one proclinate and two reclinate orbital setae; face usually with distinct carina. Body pruinose or shiny, ranging in colour from bright yellow with black to brownish or almost entirely black with some whitish markings on head and thorax. Wings with humeral and subcostal breaks in costa, cross-veins r-m and dm-cu present, anal vein present though sometimes short. Legs simple, males in Drosophila may have short combs of strong bristles on tarsal segments. Abdomen often with pattern of paler and darker markings.
Biology. Larvae of most species live on micro-organisms in slime fluxes or sap runs, in decaying fruits, mushrooms and other decomposing or fermenting organic matter; Scaptomyza and Lordiphosa larvae are leaf miners; Cacoxenus larvae are parasitoids in nests of solitary bees (e.g., Osmia rufa); Acletoxenus larvae predate on larvae of Aleyrodidae (whiteflies). Adults of most species can readily be found near larval habitats.
References to the local fauna. Bächli & Rocha Pité (1984), Beardmore (1967), Beuk (1990b, 1992, 1993b), Beuk & Zeegers (1992), Doorman (1962), Hackman (1960), De Jong & Van Zuijlen (2003), Kraaijeveld (1992), Lever & Sobels (1951), NPPO (2012), SmitJT & Reemer (2009), Sobels & Basden (1953), Van der Wulp & De Meijere (1898).
How to quote this page: Beuk, P.L.Th., 2023. Family Drosophilidae. In: Beuk, P.L.Th. (Ed.): Checklist of the Diptera of the Netherlands, https://diptera-info.nl/news.php?fam=Drosophilidae (date accessed: 15/01/2025).
NL: 54, 2I
B: 29
D: 48, 2I
UK: 59
World: 3300
DROSOPHILIDAE
DROSOPHILINAE
Chymomyza Czerny, 1903
amoena (Loew, 1862)
I; added by De Jong & Van Zuijlen (2003: 103)
caudatula Oldenberg, 1914
N; added by Beuk (1990b: 159)
costata (Zetterstedt, 1838)
N
fuscimana (Zetterstedt, 1838)
N; added by Beuk (1990b: 159)
Drosophila Fallén, 1823
subg. Dorsilopha Sturtevant, 1942
busckii Coquillett, 1901
N
= buscki Coquillett, 1901: incorrect spelling
subg. Drosophila Fallén, 1823
funebris (Fabricius, 1787)
N
= cellaris (Linnaeus, 1758): possible senior synonym
histrio Meigen, 1830
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
hydei Sturtevant, 1921
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
immigrans Sturtevant, 1921
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 85)
kuntzei Duda, 1924
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
limbata von Roser, 1840
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
littoralis Meigen, 1830
N
= lugubris Duda, 1924
N
mercatorum Patterson & Wheeler, 1942
N; added by Kraaijeveld (1992: 32)
phalerata Meigen, 1830
N
picta Zetterstedt, 1847
N; added as macularis by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
= macularis Villeneuve, 1921
polychaeta Patterson & Wheeler, 1942
N; added by Sobels & Basden (1953: 12)
repleta Wollaston, 1858
N
testacea von Roser, 1840
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 85)
transversa Fallén, 1823
N
= laeta Zetterstedt, 1847
virilis Sturtevant, 1916
N; added by Bächli & Rocha Pité (1984: 207)
subg. Sophophora Sturtevant, 1939
ambigua Pomini, 1940
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
bifasciata Pomini, 1940
N; added as bilineata by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
= bilineata Pomini, 1940
helvetica Burla, 1948
N; added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
melanogaster Meigen, 1830
N
= fasciata Meigen, 1830
= amelophila Loew, 1862
= amelophaga Loew, 1862: incorrect spelling
obscura Fallén, 1823
N; added as obscuroides by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86)
= obscuroides Pomini, 1940
simulans Sturtevant, 1919
N; added by Doorman (1962: 191)
subobscura Collin in Gordon, 1936
N
subsilvestris Hardy & Kaneshiro, 1968
N
= silvestris Basden, 1954: preocc.
Note 1
suzukii (Matsumura, 1931)
I; added by NPPO (2012)
tristis (Fallén, 1823)
N; omitted by De Meijere (1939b)
Note 2
Hirtodrosophila Duda, 1924
cameraria Haliday, 1833
N
= unistriata Strobl, 1898
= latestriata Becker, 1908
confusa (Staeger, 1844)
N
trivittata (Strobl, 1893)
N
Note 3
Lordiphosa Basden, 1961
andalusiaca (Strobl, 1906)
N; added as forcipata by Hackman (1960: 102)
Note 4
= forcipata (Collin, 1952)
fenestrarum (Fallén, 1823)
N
hexasticha (Papp, 1971)
N; added by Bächli & Van Zuijlen (2020: 363) and Mol et al. (2020: 132)
Scaptodrosophila Duda, 1923
deflexa (Duda, 1924)
N
Note 5
= guyenoti (Burla, 1948)
rufifrons (Loew, 1873)
N; added by Bächli & Rocha Pité (1984: 206)
Scaptomyza Hardy, 1849
subg. Parascaptomyza Duda, 1924
pallida (Zetterstedt, 1847)
N
= disticha (Duda, 1921)
subg. Scaptomyza Hardy, 1849
flava (Fallén, 1823)
N
= flaveola (Meigen, 1830)
= apicalis Hardy, 1849
graminum (Fallén, 1823)
N
= incana (Meigen, 1830)
= tetrasticha Becker, 1908
STEGANINAE
Acletoxenus von Frauenfeld, 1868
formosus (Loew, 1864)
N
Amiota Loew, 1862
albilabris (Roth, 1860)
N; added by Bächli & Van Zuijlen (2020: 363) and Mol et al. (2020: 132)
alboguttata (Wahlberg, 1839)
N
basdeni d'Assis Fonseca, 1965
N; first listed by Beuk (2002af: 303)
Note 6
filipes Máca, 1980
added by Bächli & Van Zuijlen (2020: 363) and Mol et al. (2020: 132)
Cacoxenus Loew, 1858
= Domomyza Rondani, 1856: suppr.
indagator Loew, 1858
N
= cinctus (Rondani, 1856): suppr.
Leucophenga Mik, 1866
maculata (Dufour, 1839)
N; first listed by Beuk (2002af: 303)
Note 7
Phortica Schiner, 1862
subg. Phortica Schiner, 1862
semivrigo (Máca, 1977)
N; added by Bächli & Van Zuijlen (2020: 363) and Mol et al. (2020: 132)
variegata (Fallén, 1823)
N; added by J.T. Smit & Reemer (2009)
Stegana Meigen, 1830
subg. Stegana Meigen, 1830
furta (Linnaeus, 1758)
N
= curvinervis (Fallén, 1823)
subg. Steganina Wheeler, 1960
coleoptrata (Scopoli, 1763)
N
hypoleuca Meigen, 1830
N; added by De Bree (2022: 17)
mehadiae Duda, 1924
N; added by De Bree (2022: 18)
nigrithorax Strobl, 1898
N; first listed by Beuk (2002af: 303)
Note 8
similis Laštovka & Máca, 1982
N; added by Beuk & Zeegers (1992: xv) and Beuk (1992: 108)
Notes
Note 1
D. silvestris Basden, 1954 is preoccupied by Drosophila (Idiomyia) silvestris (Perkins, 1910). However, some authors consider this subgenus to be a valid genus. In that case the name silvestris Basden becomes available again.
Note 2
Earlier recorded by Van der Wulp & De Meijere (1898: 126). Again added by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86).
Note 3
Material examined: GELDERLAND: Veluwe, two locations in 2012; including reared material from one of these localities.
Note 4
Again added by Beardmore (1967: 275).
Note 5
Again added as guyenoti by Lever & Sobels (1951: 86).
Note 6
Material examined: GELDERLAND: Neerijnen (Langgoed Neerijnen, 1 [f]: 24-27.vii.1991, leg. B. van Aartsen MT [BEUK]); LIMBURG: De Meinweg (1 [f]: viii.2015, MT [NHMM ALC]).
Note 7
Material examined: LIMBURG (Vijlen, 1 [m]: 8.vi.1996, leg. B. van Aartsen [BEUK]), det. P.L.Th. Beuk.
Note 8
Material examined: GELDERLAND: Winterswijk (1 [m]: 28.vi.1996, leg. B. van Aartsen [BEUK]), det. P.L.Th. Beuk.
The latest revisions at different levels
The family introduction was last edited on 12-08-2014 17:04
Phortica was the last (sub)genus to be edited on 16-07-2014 14:31
Steganina mehadiae was the last (sub)species to be edited on 26-01-2023 10:46
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