Celyphidae
| Celyphidae | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Section: | Schizophora |
| Subsection: | Acalyptratae |
| Superfamily: | Lauxanioidea |
| Family: | Celyphidae |
The Celyphidae, commonly known as beetle flies or beetle-backed flies, are a family of flies (order Diptera). About 90 species are known from the Oriental and Afrotropic biogeographic regions.
Celyphidae are small to medium-sized and easily recognised. The scutellum is enlarged, forming a protective shell over the abdomen, giving them a beetle-like appearance. Also, like many beetles, Celyphidae are often shiny or metallic in color. The wings, when at rest, are folded beneath the scutellar "shell".
The biology of the family is poorly known. Adults are found in along streams and rivers, and in wet, grassy areas. Larvae are saprophagous.
The Celyphidae family is considered by some authors to be the sister taxon of the Lauxaniidae (e.g., Griffiths 1972), and has occasionally been considered a specialized lineage arising from within the lauxaniids. The most recent classifications place this as the sister taxon to the Eurychoromyiidae.
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Wikipedia