Sphaeroceridae are a family of true flies in the order Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly suborder Brachycera as can be seen by their short antennae, and more precisely they are members of the section Schizophora. There are over 1,300 species and about 125 genera accepted as valid today, but new taxa are still being described.
Sphaeroceroidea is a superfamily of flies. It includes the cosmopolitan families of Sphaeroceridae, Heleomyzidae, and Chyromyidae, as well as a few smaller groups. It has about 2,600 species.
The Heleomyzidae is a small family of true flies in the insect order Diptera. Over 740 described species of Heleomyzidae occur in about 76 general distributed throughout the world.
The Lauxaniidae are a family of acalyptrate flies. They generally are small flies with large compound eyes that often are brightly coloured in life, sometimes with characteristic horizontal stripes, such as in Cestrotus species. Many species have variegated patterns on their wings, but in contrast they generally do not have variegated bodies, except for genera such as Cestrotus, whose camouflage mimics lichens or the texture of granitic rocks.
The Curtotonidae or quasimodo flies are a small family of small grey to dark brown humpbacked flies (Diptera) with a worldwide distribution, but with very few species in the Nearctic, Australasian/Oceanian, and Palaearctic regions. Most members of the family are found in tropical to subtropical latitudes in Africa and the Neotropics. Many remain undescribed in collections, since little work on the family has been done since the 1930s.
Odiniidae is a small family of flies. There are only 58 described species but there are representatives in all the major biogeographic realms.
Asteiidae is a small but widespread family of acalyptrate flies or Diptera. About 130 species in 10 genera have been described worldwide. They are rarely collected.
The Camillidae are a family of flies, or Diptera. The family has five genera.
Diastatidae are a family of flies in the order Diptera. They are encountered primarily in the Holarctic Region, but several species are found in the Oriental, Neotropical and Australasian regions. Members of the family number over 20 described species in three genera. There is an additional fossil genus.
Bolitophila is the sole living genus in the Bolitophilidae, a family of Diptera in the superfamily Sciaroidea, with around 40 Palaearctic and about 20 Nearctic species, and three species from the Oriental region (Taiwan). They are small (6–9 mm).
Cyamops is a genus of flies.
Periscelididae is a family of flies.
Copromyzinae is a subfamily of flies belonging to the family Lesser Dung flies.
Achaetothorax is a genus of flies belonging to the family Lesser Dung flies.
The family Pseudopomyzidae comprises minute to small (1.7–5.5 mm), dark-coloured acalyptrate flies; formerly they have been treated as a subfamily of Cypselosomatidae
Periscelis is a genus of flies in the family Periscelididae. There are about 15 described species in Periscelis.
Stenomicra is a genus of flies in the family Periscelididae. There are more than 20 described species in Stenomicra.
Hesperinus is a genus of flies and the sole genus in the relict family Hesperinidae belonging to the nematoceran infraorder Bibionomorpha. There are about 8 known species, nearly all from the Palaearctic region with one each from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Three fossil species from Eocene Baltic amber have been described. These flies have long 12-segmented antennae, legs and abdomen and males have well-developed wings while females have a short one. Little is known, but most species have been collected near streams in woodlands.
Nannodastiidae are a small family of acalyptrate flies placed in two genera. They were formerly included within the Ephydridae or shore flies. These are small to minute flies which are dull coloured with clear wings. They are identified by a combination of setal characters visible only under a microscope and genital features which require specimen dissection. They are found along coasts and in bat caves rich in guano.
