Snail-killing
Guides
Sciomyzini
snail-killing flies
Sciomyzini is a tribe of snail-killing flies within the family Sciomyzidae. Larvae are specialized predators and parasitoids of freshwater nonoperculate pulmonate snails. The tribe exhibits variable degrees of specialization: some species are highly specialized parasitoids with eggs laid directly on snail shells and puparia modified to fit tightly within host shells, while others are less specialized with eggs laid on vegetation and larvae acting as parasitoid-predator-saprophages. The tribe includes at least 13 genera and has been documented in both Palearctic and Nearctic regions.
Sepedon fuscipennis
marsh fly
Sepedon fuscipennis is a species of marsh fly in the family Sciomyzidae. The larvae are aquatic predators of pulmonate snails, living just beneath the water surface suspended by water-resistant hairs surrounding their posterior spiracles. Adults are slender flies with a concave face and jutting antennae; males have distinctive bowed hind tibiae and swollen, toothed hind femora for grasping females during mating. The species exhibits overlapping generations during summer with unimodal population peaks, and has been studied for its potential in biological control of snail hosts of parasitic diseases.