Diagnosis. Minute to small (1.0-5.0 mm) flies; body black, occasionally with small yellowish or whitish parts, sometime largely brownish to reddish in Apiloscatopse. Head small, compound eyes reniform, eye bridge present in almost all species; antennae with up to 12 rather short segments. Thorax somewhat arched, without strong setae, in Aspistes with collar of thorn-like projections. Wings often glass-like; C, Sc, R and base of M well developed, remaining veins poorly developed; M with two branches, anterior branch sometimes with a partial or complete cross vein towards R4+5; some veins or posterior cells sometimes with scattered macrotrichia. Legs short, without setae. Abdomen short.
Biology. Larvae have been associated with all kinds of decaying vegetable matter. Scatopse notata and Coboldia fuscipes have been reared from a wide variety of substrates; Ectaetia has been reared from and collected near rot holes in trees; Rhexoza has been reared from under bark on dead trees; and Aspistes has been reared from litter sifted from sandy soil. Adults can be numerous at sites of emergence, near substrates for oviposition, or near food supplies (flower heads); Apiloscatopse adults have been found to aggregate.
References to the local fauna. Van Aartsen et al. (1991), Beuk (1996i), Beuk & Zeegers (1992), Haenni (1984, 1986, 2013), Krivosheina & Haenni (1986), De Meijere (1916, 1946a).
How to quote this page: Beuk, P.L.Th., 2021. Family Scatopsidae. In: Beuk, P.L.Th. (Ed.): Checklist of the Diptera of the Netherlands, https://diptera-info.nl/news.php?fam=Scatopsidae (date accessed: 05/06/2026).
NL: 33
B: 26
D: 32
UK: 46
World: 350
SCATOPSIDAE
ASPISTINAE
Aspistes Meigen, 1818
berolinensis Meigen, 1818
N
ECTAETIINAE
Ectaetia Enderlein, 1912
lignicola Edwards, 1925
N; added by De Meijere (1946b: 1)
platyscelis (Loew, 1869)
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
PSECTROSCIARINAE
Anapausis Enderlein, 1912
albohalterata Duda, 1928
N
haemorrhoidalis Duda, 1928
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
helvetica Haenni, 1984
N; added by Haenni (2020: 367) and Mol et al. (2020:134)
Note 1
rectinervis Duda, 1928
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
soluta (Loew, 1846)
N
= inermis (Ruthé, 1831): misident. sensu De Meijere, 1916; pro parte
= tenuicauda Duda, 1928
talpae (Verrall, 1912)
N
= inermis (Ruthé, 1831): misident. sensu De Meijere, 1916; pro parte
SCATOPSINAE
Colobostematini
Colobostema Enderlein, 1926
nigripenne (Meigen, 1830)
N; first recorded in original checklist (Beuk, 2002h: 93), listed with records by Haenni (2013: 224)
triste (Zetterstedt, 1850)
N
Efcookella Haenni in Chandler, 1998
= Cookella Freeman in Freeman & Lane, 1985: preocc.
albitarsis (Zetterstedt, 1850)
N
Ferneiella Cook, 1977
= Ferneiella Cook, 1974: unavailable
incompleta (Verrall, 1886)
N
Holoplagia Enderlein, 1912
transversalis (Loew, 1846)
N
Rhegmoclematini
Parascatopse Cook, 1955
litorea (Edwards, 1925)
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
Thripomorpha Enderlein, 1905
= Aldrovandiella Enderlein, 1912
= Rhegmoclema Enderlein, 1912: misident. sensu auct.
bifida (Zilahi-Sebess, 1956)
N; added as collini by Van Aartsen et al. (1991: ix)
= collini (Cook, 1969)
cooki (Hutson, 1970)
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
coxendix (Verrall, 1912)
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
halterata (Meigen, 1838)
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
paludicola Enderlein, 1905
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
= edwardsi (Collin, 1954)
verralli (Edwards, 1934)
N; added by Haenni (1986: 476)
Scatopsini
Apiloscatopse Cook, 1974
flavicollis (Meigen, 1818)
N
flavocincta (Duda, 1928)
N
picea (Meigen, 1818)
N
scutellata (Loew, 1846)
N
Reichertella Enderlein, 1912
geniculata (Zetterstedt, 1850)
N
nigra (Meigen, 1804)
N
pulicaria (Loew, 1846)
N
= integrata (Walker, 1856)
Scatopse Geoffroy, 1912
notata (Linnaeus, 1758)
N
Swammerdamellini
Coboldia Melander, 1916
fuscipes (Meigen, 1830)
N
Rhexoza Enderlein, 1926
= Rhexosa Enderlein, 1926: incorrect spelling
subnitens (Verrall, 1886)
N
Swammerdamella Enderlein, 1912
acuta Cook, 1956
N; will be formally added by Beuk & Haenni (in prep.)
brevicornis (Meigen, 1830)
N
Notes
Note 1
Material examined: LIMBURG: LIMBURG: Maastricht (Natuurhistorisch Museum [1761-3172], indoors, 1 [m]: 18.vi.2013, leg. P.L.Th. Beuk [NHMM ALC]).
The latest revisions at different levels
The family introduction was last edited on 06-01-2014 12:01
Ferneiella was the last (sub)genus to be edited on 15-02-2019 14:39
Anapausis helvetica was the last (sub)species to be edited on 01-08-2021 18:53
31,109,827 unique visits
