Megaselia scalaris
| Megaselia scalaris | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Phoridae |
| Genus: | Megaselia |
| Species: | M. scalaris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Megaselia scalaris (Loew, 1866)
| |
The fly Megaselia scalaris is a member of the order Diptera and the family Phoridae, and it is widely distributed in warm regions of the world. Members of this family are commonly known as "humpbacked flies", "coffin flies", and "scuttle flies". The name "scuttle fly" derives from the jerky, short bursts of running, characteristic to the adult fly. The name "coffin fly" is due to their being found in coffins, digging six feet deep in order to reach buried corpses. It is one of the more common species found within the family Phoridae; more than 370 species have been identified within North America.