marsh flies
(Dictya spp.)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Overview |
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| Dictya is a genus of marsh flies. It occurs in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, North America, and Central America. There are at least 44 species of Dictya worldwide, 27 species in North America north of Mexico, and at least 4 species in Minnesota. They are common in late summer and fall in Minnesota, at least at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in Anoka County. Adults are found in marshy areas near ponds and streams and in moist woodlands. Larvae are aquatic and feed on snails, snail eggs, and slugs. | |||||||||
Description |
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Dictya are small to medium-sized flies, 3 ⁄16″ to ½″ (5 to 8 mm) long. The face is white with a small black spot in the middle. The antennae are distinctly projected forward. The body is usually yellowish-brown. The plate on the underside of the first thoracic segment (prosternum) is bare, not hairy. The wings are dark with numerous white spots, including two spots near the tip if the subcostal (Sc) cell. The legs are somewhat elongated but not especially long. On the male the third segment (femur) of the middle leg has a row of short, stout bristles on the underside of the lower (distal) half (posteroventral). Identification beyond the genus level cannot be reliably made from photographs alone. For the species, identification requires microscopic examination of the genitalia. |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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| 12/26/2020 | ||||
Taxonomy |
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Order |
Diptera (flies) | ||
Suborder |
Brachycera | ||
Infraorder |
Muscomorpha | ||
| No Rank | Eremoneura | ||
| No Rank | Cyclorrhapha | ||
| Zoosection | Schizophora | ||
| Zoosubsection | Acalyptratae (acalyptrate flies) | ||
Superfamily |
Sciomyzoidea (kelp, marsh, thick-headed flies, and allies) | ||
Family |
Sciomyzidae (marsh flies) | ||
Subfamily |
Sciomyzinae | ||
Tribe |
Tetanocerini | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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marsh fly (Dictya atlantica) marsh fly (Dictya borealis) marsh fly (Dictya disjuncta) marsh fly (Dictya expansa) marsh fly (Dictya pictipes) marsh fly (Dictya sabroskyi) marsh fly (Dictya stricta) marsh fly (Dictya umbroides) |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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This genus has no common name. The common name for the family Sciomyzidae is marsh flies, and it is applied here for convenience. |
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Glossary
Femur
On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.
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Alfredo Colon |
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| Alfredo Colon 8/8/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
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Created: 12/26/2020
Last Updated: