Family COELOPIDAE Hendel, 1910

Kelp flies in abundance at Bells Beach, Victoria, Nov. 2008

© Copyright Peter Taylor

Kelp flies at Bells Beach, Victoria, Nov. 2008

© Copyright Peter Taylor

Coelopids on cliff at Bells Beach, Victoria, Nov. 2008

© Copyright Peter Taylor

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

Coelopidae are a relatively small family of flies. There are some 30 species known worldwide, half of which occur in temperate regions of Australia. The flies are typically found where kelp has been washed up onto seashores. The larvae feed on decaying kelp, thus assisting in its breakdown. When kelp is abundant, coelopid flies may also be present in great numbers, aggregating on rocks or shrubs near the shoreline. Some species have been used for genetic and behavioural studies as they are readily cultured in laboratory conditions.

The taxonomy of the Australian fauna was thoroughly addressed by McAlpine (1991) and is followed here. A phylogenetic analysis of the family Coelopidae was conducted by Meier and Wiegmann (2002), and Iwasa (2008) recently revised the genus Toxopoda.

There is an unplaced species Coelopa (Coelepa) sic. offendens Walker 1861 nomen dudium supposedly from Tasmania. It is not included here.

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Coelopidae: Coelopa offendens Walker, 1861 [published as Coelepa sic.] — Walker, F. 1861. Characters of undescribed Diptera in the collection of W.W. Saunders, Esq., F.R.S. etc. [part]. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 2(5): 297-334 [320]

General References

Hamilton, J. et al. 2006. On the Fly, The interactive atlas and key to Australian fly families. [CD-Rom] CBIT & Australian Biological Resources Study, Brisbane & Canberra.

Iwasa, M. 2008. Revisional notes on the genus Toxopoda Macquart (Diptera, Sepsidae) in the Oriental and Australasian regions. Entomological Science 11(4): 449-463 [Date published December]

McAlpine, D.K. 1991. Review of the Australian kelp flies (Diptera: Coelopidae). Systematic Entomology 16(1): 29-84 [Date published January]

Meier, R. & Wiegmann, B.M. 2002. A phylogenetic analysis of Coelopidae (Dipera) based on morphological and DNA sequence data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 25(3): 393-407 [Date published December]

Walker, F. 1861. Characters of undescribed Diptera in the collection of W.W. Saunders, Esq., F.R.S. etc. [part]. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 2(5): 297-334 [320]

History of changes