Paykullia maculata explained

Paykullia maculata is a species of fly in the subfamily Rhinophorinae^{[1] [2]} first described by Carl Fredrik Fallén in 1815.^[3]

Distribution

This species can be found in most of Europe (Austria, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands) ^{[4] [5]} Habitats include wetlands, woodlands, parks and gardens.

Description

Paykullia maculata can reach a length of 5-. The adults of this species are very variable, especially in size and in the pattern of wing markings. These small flies have a shining black body with bristly hair. The apical half of the wings show darkened veins and costal area.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Biology

Adults can be seen from May to September, with several generations. Usually they rest or run around on stones or among the foliage. The larvae are intestinal parasites of Porcellio scaber and Oniscus asellus,^[6] and woodlice from Protracheoniscus and Trachelipus genera.

Notes and References

1. Cerretti. Pierfilippo. Badano. Davide. Gisondi. Silvia. Lo Giudice. Giuseppe. Pape. Thomas. 15 Jan 2020. The world woodlouse flies (Diptera, Rhinophoridae). ZooKeys. 903. 1–130. 10.3897/zookeys.903.37775. 31997887. 6976704. free. 2 December 2023.
2. Yan . Liping . Pape . Thomas . Meusemann . Karen . Kutty . Sujatha Narayanan . Meier . Rudolf . Bayless . Keith M . Zhang . Dong . Monophyletic blowflies revealed by phylogenomics . BMC Biology . 2021 . 19 . 230 . 2 December 2023.
3. Book: Jedlička, Ladislav. Checklist of Diptera of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Electronic version 2. . Kúdela. Matúš. Stloukalová. Viera. 2009-01-01. Comenius University. 978-80-969629-4-5. Bratislava, Slovakia. Rhinophoridae Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863. http://www.edvis.sk/diptera2009/families/rhinophoridae.htm.
4. Web site: Paykullia maculata (Fallen, 1815) Fauna Europaea. fauna-eu.org. en. 2018-07-30.
5. Book: Diptera Stelviana. A dipterological perspective on a changing alpine landscape. Results from a survey of the biodiversity of Diptera (Insecta) in the Stilfserjoch National Park (Italy). 2008. Ampyx-Verlag. 9783932795305. Joachim Ziegler. Halle. 221–228. 4.3.20 Rhinophoridae. 554886269. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270566512_4320_Rhinophoridae.
6. Web site: Paykullia maculata NatureSpot. www.naturespot.org.uk. en. 2018-07-30.
7. Bei-Bienko, G.Y. & Steyskal, G.C. (1988) Keys to the Insects of the European Part of the USSR, Volume V: Diptera and Siphonaptera, Parts I, II. Amerind Publishing Co., New Delhi.
8. Book: F. I. van Emden. Diptera - Cyclorrhapha. Calyptrata (I) Section (a). Tachinidae and Calliphoridae.. Royal Entomological Society. 1954. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 10 Part 4a ii. London.