Scellus is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It is distributed in the Palearctic and Nearctic.
Males of the genus have a pair of flag-like appendages, known as "signa" (singular "signum"), that emanate laterally from between the 4th and 5th abdominal segments. These appendages are connected together by a band under the sternites, forming a U-shaped structure called the "cingulum". It has been suggested by researchers that these appendages are used for visual signalling or pheromone dispersal during courtship. The genus Hydatostega also has a cingulum, but much reduced, suggesting that Scellus and Hydatostega are closely related.
Species
Scellus abditus Hurley, 1995 Scellus alactaga Stackelberg, 1951 Scellus amplus Curran, 1923 Scellus asaroticus Hurley, 1995 Scellus avidus Loew, 1864 Scellus bianchii Stackelberg, 1951 Scellus coloradensis Harmston & James in Harmston & Knowlton, 1942 Scellus crinipes Van Duzee, 1925 Scellus dolichocerus Gerstaecker, 1864 Scellus dyscritus Hurley, 1995 Scellus exustus (Walker, 1852) Scellus filifer Loew, 1864 Scellus gallicanus Becker, 1909 Scellus grichanovi Naglis, 2012 Scellus hissaricus Stackelberg, 1951 Scellus knowltoni Harmston, 1939 Scellus monstrosus Osten Sacken, 1877 Scellus notatus (Fabricius, 1781) Scellus obuchovae (Stackelberg, 1951) Scellus paramonovi Stackelberg, 1926 Scellus sinensis Yang, 1998 Scellus spinimanus (Zetterstedt, 1843) Scellus tshernovskii Stackelberg, 1951 Scellus varipennis Van Duzee, 1925 Scellus vigil Osten Sacken, 1877 Scellus virago Aldrich, 1907
References