The Ecology of Some British Sphaeroceridae (Borboridae, Diptera)

Abstract

Adults of 35 spp. of sphaerocerid flies were found visiting cow pats ly-ing naturally on the field at Rothamsted, Herts. Fourteen of these spp., of which only 9 occur regularly, live in the dung in the larval stage. The other spp. are believed to be only casual visitors from other habitats. Some of the spp. occupy the pat at different times of the year, although adults are recorded from a wider range of habitats in most months of the year. Some of the species occupy the fresh pat whereas others have been found more commonly in the adult and larval stages associated with the pat some days old. In some spp. the sexes possess different habits. The males of these spp. may be more sensitive to low humidities than are the females. Larvae of different spp. differ mainly in the shape of the anterior and posterior spiracles, and some of these are figured. The spp. of Sphaeroceridae associated with the pat differ in their behavior and appear to occupy different ecological niches.