Overview
A largely Palaearctic and Nearctic family with only some nine species in four genera in Australia. Most have been accidentally introduced, but two species of
Anthomyia
are apparently endemic.
The larvae live mainly in decaying vegetation - those of
Fucellia
in stranded seaweed on beaches - but
Delia platura
(Meig.) is a cosmopolitan, minor pest, sometimes attacking seedlings of onions, legumes and other plants, while
D. urbana
is said to attack grasses. The cosmopolitan
Anthomyia punctipennis
(Wied.) was probably carried around the world in rotting vegetables on ships. Two species of
Pegohylemyia
were deliberately introduced for biological control of St. John's Wort but did not establish.
Description
Adults have vein M straight and vein Cu1+A1 typically continuing to the margin (although this is not always true in
Anthomyia
). The scutellum is diagnostic, with sparse setulae, one or more lateral rows of backswept cilia, and (in all but
Fucellia
), a tuft of tiny hairs beneath the apex.
Distribution
Paregle
is almost completely restricted to Tasmania, while
Fucellia
occurs on beaches around the main ports. Our two endemic species of
Anthomyia
are largely tropical, but the introduced
A. vicarians
is found mainly in the drier parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Of the two species of
Delia
,
D. platura
has a clear preference for cooler climates whereas
D. urbana
is more tolerant of warmer temperatures.