Updating and expanding the key to European Megaselia (Diptera, Phoridae): from Disney’s Britain to a continental fauna, with 393 additions and four new species
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: We present a comprehensive list of additions to Disney’s 1989 key ʻScuttle Flies. Diptera: Phoridae. Genus Megaseliaʼ, which has become the de facto fundamental reference for the identification of European species of Megaselia. The present update extends Disney’s key to cover all Palearctic species, with 393 additions and an indication of where they fit in the key. The couplets in Disney (1989) where these species key are indicated. We also report the discovery of two specimens of M. romphaea (Schmitz, 1947) and provide an updated description of this species, as the original account is outdated and difficult to consult. In addition, we describe four new species of Megaselia from Germany – M. bruna Caruso, Bøggild & Grundmann sp. nov., M. curta Caruso, Bøggild & Grundmann sp. nov., M. robertoi Caruso sp. nov., and M. splendida Caruso, Bøggild & Grundmann sp. nov. – using the streamlined method of description developed specifically for the genus.
Source: European Journal of Taxonomy
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7154167178