''Coremacera marginata'' is a species of
fly
Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...
in the family
Sciomyzidae
The family (biology), family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order (biology), order Fly, Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae.
Here, t ...
, the marsh flies or snail-killing flies.
Subspecies
Subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
include:
*''Coremacera marginata'' var. ''marginata''
(Fabricius, 1775)
*''Coremacera marginata'' var. ''pontica''
Elberg, 1968
Distribution and habitat
This species occurs in most of
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and in the
Near East
The Near East () is a transcontinental region around the Eastern Mediterranean encompassing the historical Fertile Crescent, the Levant, Anatolia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and coastal areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The term was invented in the 20th ...
. These flies can be encountered in grasslands and woodlands,
Description
The adults of ''Coremacera marginata'' grow up to long. These flies have a slender, dark greyish body. The prominent eyes are reddish. The brown-yellowish antennae are forward-pointing, with a hairy 3rd segment and a whitish
arista. The dark grey wings are mottled with greyish spots.
Biology
Adults feed on nectar or sipping dew. Larvae prey on several terrestrial genera of snails.
[Knutson, L. V. (1973). Biology and immature stages of ''Coremacera marginata'' F. a predator of terrestrial snails (Dipt. Sciomyzidae). ''Insect Systematics & Evolution'' 4(2) 123-33.]
Gallery
File:Coremacera marginata mating - short.ogv, ''Coremacera marginata'' in copula, Hesse, Germany
File:Coremacera fg03.jpg, Side view
File:Scyomizidae - Coremacera marginata.JPG, Head with hairy terminal antennae
References
External links
Micropics.org.uk
Sciomyzidae
Insects described in 1775
Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius
Articles containing video clips
Muscomorph flies of Europe
{{Sciomyzoidea-stub