Coelopidae -- a/o cat.

Australasian/Oceanian Diptera Catalog -- Web Version

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84. Family COELOPIDAE

[Originally] by Wayne N. Mathis

Coelopids are commonly known as seaweed or kelp flies. The family contains less than 40 species worldwide, with about half occurring in the temperate areas of the Australasian Region. Elsewhere in the world the family is also found in temperate areas, with species occurring in the southern Afrotropical and Holarctic Regions. Several additional species from the Australasian Region await description.

There is considerable intraspecific variation in some species, especially in overall size, wing length, and setal characters. The plasticity found in many "traditional" characters has led to considerable splitting at the generic level.

Under normal conditions coelopids are found in the wrack zone of temperate seashores where larvae exploit stranded and rotting seaweed. Specimens are sometimes very abundant in this habitat. Coelopa frigida (Fabricius) has been reared in the laboratory and used for genetic studies.
Ref.: Malloch (1933c, key); McAlpine (1991, rev. Aust. spp.).

Subfamily LOPINAE

Genus LOPA McAlpine

LOPA McAlpine, 1991: 50. Type species: Lopa convexa McAlpine, 1991, orig. des.
convexa McAlpine, 1991: 50. Australia (WA); Australia (SA).

Subfamily COELOPINAE

Tribe AMMINI

Genus AMMA McAlpine

AMMA McAlpine, 1991: 76. Type species: Amma blancheae McAlpine, 1991, orig. des.
blancheae McAlpine, 1991: 76. Australia (NSW); Australia (SA, Tas, Vic).

Genus BAEOPTERUS Lamb

BAEOPTERUS Lamb, 1909: 141. Type species: Baeopterus robustus Lamb, 1909, mon.
PAEOPTERUS, error for Baeopterus.

Subgenus BAEOPTERUS Lamb

BAEOPTERUS Lamb, 1909: 141 (as gen.). Type species: Baeopterus robustus Lamb, 1909, mon.
robustus Lamb, 1909: 142. NZ (Campbell I); NZ (Auckland Is).

Subgenus PROTOCOELOPA Malloch

PROTOCOELOPA Malloch, 1933c: 345 (as gen.). Type species: Protoceolopa philpotti Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
philpotti Malloch, 1933c: 346 (Protocoelopa). NZ (NZ); NZ (Chatham Is).
     longipes Hendel, 1937: 192 (Baeopterus). NZ (NZ).

Genus ICARIDION Lamb

ICARIDION Lamb, 1909: 140. Type species: Icaridion nasutum Lamb, 1909, mon.
debile Lamb, 1909: 140 (Coelopa). NZ (Campbell I); Macquarie I, widesp. NZ.
nigrifrons Lamb, 1909: 140 (Coelopa). Macquarie I.
nasutum Lamb, 1909: 141. NZ (Campbell I); NZ (Antipodes Is, Auckland Is).

Tribe GLUMINI

Genus CHAETOCOELOPA Malloch

CHAETOCOELOPA Malloch, 1933c: 350. Type species: Coelopa monstruosa Hutton, 1901 [= Coelopa littoralis Hutton, 1881], orig. des.
huttoni Harrison, 1959: 103. NZ (NZ).
littoralis Hutton, 1881: 69 (Coelopa). NZ (NZ).
     monstruosa Hutton, 1901: 80 (Coelopa). NZ (NZ).
sydneyensis Schiner, 1868: 231 (Phycodroma). Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT, Qld, SA, Vic).

Genus DASYCOELOPA Malloch

DASYCOELOPA Malloch, 1933c: 348. Type species: Dasycoelopa australis Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
australis Malloch, 1933c: 349. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW), Lord Howe I.

Genus GLUMA McAlpine

GLUMA McAlpine, 1991: 56. Type species: Gluma nitida McAlpine, 1991, orig. des.
keyzeri McAlpine, 1991: 57. Australia (SA); Australia (NSW, WA).
musgravei McAlpine, 1991: 61. Australia (Vic); Australia (Tas).
nitida McAlpine, 1991: 59. Australia (SA); Australia (NSW, Tas, Vic, WA).

Tribe COELOPINI

Genus COELOPA Meigen

COELOPA Meigen, 1830: 8. Type species: Musca frigida Fabricius, 1805 [= Coelopa pilipes Haliday, 1838], mon.
FUCOMYIA Haliday in Curtis, 1837b: 280 (as gen.). Type species: Musca frigida Fabricius, 1805, des. Westwood, 1840: 144. [Published in synonymy; first made available in Haliday, 1838: 186.]
CAELOPA, error for Coelopa.
alluaudi Séguy, 1941: 157. Madagascar; Australia (NT, Qld), Micronesia, Belau; Ryukyu Is.
     palauensis Hardy, 1957b: 44. Micronesia.
steinegeri Aldrich, 1929: 5. St. Paul I (Bering Sea); Hawaiian Is [intercepted; not established]; Canada, USA (Alaska).

Tribe COELOPELLINI

Genus COELOPELLA Malloch

COELOPELLA Malloch, 1933c: 348. Type species: Coelopella plebeia Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
curvipes Hutton, 1902a: 172 (Coelopa). NZ (Auckland Is); Hawaiian Is [in quarantine; not established], NZ (NZ); Macquarie I.
     plebeia Malloch, 1933c: 348. NZ (NZ); Macquarie I.
     macquariensis Womersley, 1937a: 72. Macquarie I.
     plebeja, error for plebeia.
popeae McAlpine, 1991: 72. Australia (Tas); Australia (ACT, NSW, SA, Vic, WA).

Genus RHIS McAlpine

RHIS McAlpine, 1991: 65. Type species: Rhis whitleyi McAlpine, 1991, orig. des.
whitleyi McAlpine, 1991: 65. Australia (Vic); Australia (SA, Tas).

Genus THIS McAlpine

THIS McAlpine, 1991: 67. Type species: This canus McAlpine, 1991, orig. des.
canus McAlpine, 1991: 68. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT, Qld, SA, Tas, Vic, WA).

Unplaced species of Coelopidae

offendens Walker, 1861a: 320 (Coelopa). Australia (Tas). Nomen dubium.


This page last revised 8 March 2012