Scatella picea
(Walker, 1849)
shore fly
Scatella picea is a of shore fly in the Ephydridae, first described by Walker in 1849 as Ephydra picea. The species is notable for its larval feeding , which has been experimentally studied. Larvae feed on and show differential utilization across algal , with notably poor ability to use blue-green algae compared to some coexisting ephydrid species.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Scatella picea: /skəˈtɛlə ˈpɪsiə/
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Habitat
Shore flies in the Ephydridae are typically associated with moist, shoreline, or aquatic environments.
Diet
Larvae feed on . Laboratory studies testing 14 algal found that survivability to adulthood varied greatly depending on algal . Blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) are virtually unusable as food by S. picea larvae, a constraint that differs from some coexisting ephydrid species such as Scatella stagnalis.
Similar Taxa
- Scatella stagnalisCommonly coexists with S. picea; differs in ability to utilize blue-green as food, which may contribute to resource partitioning between the two .
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
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- The feeding ecology of the larvae of the shore fly Scatella picea (Walker) (Diptera: Ephydridae)