Protopiophila-litigata
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Protopiophila
cheese skipper, antler fly
Protopiophila is a genus of piophilid flies commonly known as cheese skippers or antler flies. The genus comprises eleven described species distributed across multiple continents. Some species, particularly P. litigata, have become model organisms for studying sexual selection and life history evolution due to their specialized breeding ecology on discarded cervid antlers. Other species such as P. latipes utilize decomposing animal carcasses as breeding substrates. The genus exhibits notable behavioral diversity in mating systems and larval ecology.