This is a small family of 67 species in 23 genera, mainly Holarctic in
distribution. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. A few species,
probably of northern origin, are synanthropic, including the "cheese
fly," "cheese skipper," or "bacon fly", Piophila
casei. Only 8 species in 2 genera are recorded from the Australasian/Oceanian
Regions.
Refs.: McAlpine (1977, evol., phylog., classif., keys).
PIOPHILA Fallén, 1810a: 20. Type species: Musca casei Linnaeus, 1758, mon.
TYROPHAGA Kirby in Kirby & Spence, 1826: 78. Type species: Musca
casei Linnaeus, 1758, mon.
PROTOPIOPHILA Duda, 1924c: 109 (Piophila subg.). Type species: Piophila latipes Meigen, 1838, des. Imperial Bureau of Entomology,
1925: 273.
CLUSINA Curran, 1934c: 449. Type species: Clusina nigriventris Curran, 1934, orig. des.
australis Harrison, 1959: 173 (Protopiophila). NZ (NZ); Australia
(NSW), Fiji, Hawaiian Is.
casei Linnaeus, 1758: 597 (Musca putris ssp.). Not given
[Europe]; NZ (NZ); N to Siberia in Old World, Patagonia, N to arctic Canada
in New World; almost cosmopol.
smithii Hutton, 1901: 89. NZ (NZ).
contecta Walker, 1860a: 167. Indonesia (Sulawesi); Australia (NT,
Qld), PNG (PNG), apparently widesp. trop. Pacific Is.
scutellata Harrison, 1960: 2 (Protopiophila). Vanuatu; Hawaiian
Is [intercepted; not established].
vitrea McAlpine, 1989: 20. Australia (NSW).
PIOPHILOSOMA Hendel, 1917: 37. Type species: Piophilosoma palpatum Hendel, 1917, orig. des.
CHAETOPIOPHILA Malloch, 1928d: 309. Type species: Chaetopiophila
hyalipennis Malloch, 1928 [= Thyreophora antipodum Osten Sacken,
1881], orig. des.
antipodum Osten Sacken, 1881b: 35 (Thyreophora). Australia
(Tas); Australia (ACT, SA, NSW, WA).
hyalipennis Malloch, 1928d: 309 (Chaetopiophila). Australia
(NSW).
scutellata Malloch, 1931e: 293 (Chaetopiophila). Australia
(NSW).
norrisi Paramonov, 1954c: 297 (Chaetopiophila). Australia
(ACT); Australia (NSW).
palpatum Hendel, 1917: 37. Australia (NSW); Australia (ACT, SA, Vic,
WA).
palpalis Paramonov, 1954c: 296 (Chaetopiophila). Australia
(ACT).