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.).
LOPA McAlpine, 1991: 50. Type species: Lopa convexa McAlpine,
1991, orig. des.
convexa McAlpine, 1991: 50. Australia (WA); Australia (SA).
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).
BAEOPTERUS Lamb, 1909: 141. Type species: Baeopterus robustus Lamb, 1909, mon.
PAEOPTERUS, error for Baeopterus.
BAEOPTERUS Lamb, 1909: 141 (as gen.). Type species: Baeopterus
robustus Lamb, 1909, mon.
robustus Lamb, 1909: 142. NZ (Campbell I); NZ (Auckland Is).
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).
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).
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).
DASYCOELOPA Malloch, 1933c: 348. Type species: Dasycoelopa
australis Malloch, 1933, orig. des.
australis Malloch, 1933c: 349. Australia (Qld); Australia (NSW),
Lord Howe I.
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).
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).
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).
RHIS McAlpine, 1991: 65. Type species: Rhis whitleyi McAlpine,
1991, orig. des.
whitleyi McAlpine, 1991: 65. Australia (Vic); Australia (SA, Tas).
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).
offendens Walker, 1861a: 320 (Coelopa). Australia (Tas). Nomen dubium.
This page last revised 8 March 2012