Home › Volumes › Insects › Dung Flies

Families Helomyzidae, Phycodromidae and Sciomyzidae

The Helomyzidae are small, dark-colored flies, looking something like dung-flies. They seem to prefer damp, shady places, and fly in the twilight. In the larval condition they are to be found in fungi and one species in Europe feeds upon truffles. Some of them also lay their eggs in the excrement of dogs and other animals.

The Phycodromidae are also small, grayish flies in which the abdomen is somewhat darker than the thorax. They are found on ocean beaches, and also on the shores of lakes, upon the different substances, usually vegetable, washed ashore, and they probably breed in such places.

With the Sciomyzidae, the colors are brown or gray, and they are ordinary-looking, medium sized or small flies. Their wings are usually spotted or slightly clouded. The metamorphoses of most of them are not known. These flies are to be captured on high grasses or upon bushes.