Flies of the genera Cleigastra Macquart, 1835, Gonarcticus Becker, 1894, Gonatherus Rondani, 1856, Hexamitocera Becker, 1894, Nanna Strobl, 1894, Orthacheta Becker, 1894 and Spathephilus Becker, 1894 (all Scathophagidae) of the fauna of Russia are reviewed. Key to genera, generic descriptions and keys for determination of species are given, and data on geographical distribution are summarized. ...

Even for well-established insect model systems, such as the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Scathophagidae), there may be hidden systematic ambiguities that require clarification. Dung flies from the Afrotropical Region have been considered (i) as con-specific and not different from all the other Holarctic Scathophaga stercoraria; (ii) as a local and peculiar Africa...

Although studies of freshwater entomofauna frequently do not include the biodiversity and ecological roles of higher Diptera, cyclorraphous flies are often numerous and species rich in wetlands. Seventeen families are commonly found in freshwater wetlands, with Ephydridae, Chloropidae, Sciomyzidae, Sphaeroceridae, and Scathophagidae being among the most important in terms of population size and...

When conducting inter-species regression analyses, the phylogenetic relationships between the individual species need to be taken into account. In this paper, a procedure for conducting such analyses is discussed, which only requires the use of a measure of relationship between pairs of species, rather than a complete phylogeny, and which at the same time assesses the importance to be attached ...