Photograph courtesy of Hamish Robertson, South African Museum

The Fleshflies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) of South Africa

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Introduction
Sarcophagidae
References

INTRODUCTION

Closely related to the blowflies (Calliphoridae), the fleshflies are of medical, veterinary and forensic importance. Fleshflies are characteristically black with grey or white stripes or spots on the body, and clear wings. Their larvae may feed on decaying matter (including carcasses and excrement), cause myiasis of humans and other vertebrates, or grow as parasitoids of frogs and insects such as grasshoppers. The last major revision of southern African taxa was published by Fritz Zumpt in 1972.

Information about the fleshflies can be sought at

The Diptera page of The Tree of Life

Family: SARCOPHAGIDAE

  1. Genus: WOHLFAHRTIA Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889
    1. W. pachytyli (Townsend, 1919)
      Afrowolfahrtia pachytyli Townsend, 1919: 159
      = Disjunctio brunnipalpis Bezzi 1908: 187 (nec MacQuart, error)
      = Wolfahrtia euvittata Villeneuve 1920: 164
      Western Cape, Free State, Northern Cape


  2. Genus: XIPHIDIELLA Zumpt, 1952
    1. X. anorubra (Villeneuve, 1920)
      Hoplocephalella anorubra Villeneuve, 1920: 157
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng


  3. Genus: BLAESOXIPHA Loew, 1861
    1. B. filipjevi Rohdendorf, 1928
      Blaesoxipha filipjevi Rohdendorf, 1928:26
      Blaesoxipha filipjevi aequatorialis Rohdendorf, 1930: 318
      Blaesoxipha filipjevi tertia Rohdendorf, 1937: 112
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Guateng, to Botswana, East Africa and West Africa


  4. Genus: SARCOPHAGA Meigen, 1826
      Subgenus: SENIORWHITEA Rohdendorf
    1. S. schoemani Zumpt, 1951
      Sarcophaga schoemani Zumpt, 1951: 189
      = Ceratophalla caputavis Rohdendorf 1963: 15
      Northern Cape, to Botswana, Namibia, Ethiopia and Senegal

      Subgenus: PRIONOPHALLA Rohdendorf
    2. Sarcophaga namaquensis Zumpt, 1951
      Sarcophaga namaquensis Zumpt, 1951: 188
      Northern Cape

    3. Sarcophaga braunsi Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga braunsi Engel, 1924: 319
      = Bellieria aurifacies Enderlein 1928: 153
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal

    4. Sarcophaga silvai Zumpt, 1952
      Sarcophaga silvai Zumpt, 1952: 106
      = Servaisiomima kurumanica Rohdendorf 1963: 17
      Northern Province, Northern Cape, to Botswana and Mozambique

    5. Sarcophaga langi Curran, 1934
      Sarcophaga langi Curran, 1934: 12
      = Sarcophaga musprattianus Zumpt 1951: 193
      = Sarcophaga msingiensis Zumpt 1954: 653
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Tanzania and Cameroon

    6. Sarcophaga weyeri Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga weyeri Zumpt, 1972: 72
      Gauteng, to Botswana

    7. Sarcophaga freyi Zumpt, 1953
      Sarcophaga freyi Zumpt, 1953: 77
      Western Cape, Mpumalanga

      Subgenus: PARASARCOPHAGA Johnston & Tiegs
    8. Sarcophaga hirtipes Weidemann, 1830
      Sarcophaga hirtipes Weidemann, 1830: 361
      = Sarcophaga rufipes Wiedemann 1830: 362
      = Sarcophaga fulvipalpis Macquart 1843: 98
      = Sarcophaga dura Curran 1934: 12
      = Parasarcophaga africana Rohdendorf 1963: 15
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Province, to most of Africa

      Subgenus: BRAUNSIELLA Enderlein
    9. Sarcophaga booersiana Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga booersiana Engel, 1924: 341
      = Sarcophaga lacon Zumpt 1951: 185
      KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, to Mozambique

      Subgenus: CHAETOPHALLA Rohdendorf
    10. Sarcophaga villa Curran, 1934
      Sarcophaga villa Curran, 1934: 9
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, to Zimbabwe, Kenya and Sierra Leone

      Subgenus: XANTHOPTERISCA Rohdendorf
    11. Sarcophaga elegantipes Villeneuve, 1921
      Sarcophaga elegantipes Villeneuve, 1921: 31
      = Angiometopa munroi Curran 1927: 527
      = Sarcophaga brunnipalpis Zumpt 1951: 174 (nec Macquart, error)
      Eastern Cape

    12. Sarcophaga regularis Weidemann, 1830
      Sarcophaga regularis Weidemann, 1830: 37
      Western Cape

    13. Sarcophaga condona (Curran, 1934)
      Agria condona Curran, 1934: 5
      Eastern Cape

      Subgenus: AETHIOPISCA Rohdendorf
    14. Sarcophaga gertrudae Zumpt, 1953
      Sarcophaga gertrudae Zumpt, 1953: 9
      Gauteng

    15. Sarcophaga aenigma Rohdendorf, 1963
      Sarcophaga aenigma Rohdendorf, 1963: 17
      Western Cape

      Subgenus: SCOTATHYRSIA Enderlein
    16. Sarcophaga samia Curran, 1934
      Sarcophaga samia Curran, 1934: 11
      = Scotathyrsia cuthbertsoni Rohdendorf 1963: 14
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, to Cameroon and Rwanda

      Subgenus: HARPAGOPHALLOIDES Rohdendorf
    17. Sarcophaga theseus Zumpt, 1951
      Sarcophaga theseus Zumpt, 1951: 192
      Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

    18. Sarcophaga optata Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga optata Zumpt, 1972: 99
      KwaZulu-Natal

      Subgenus: BERCAEA Robbineau-Desvoidy
    19. Sarcophaga arno Curran, 1934
      Sarcophaga arno Curran, 1934: 14
      = Sarcophaga arnoides Patton & Ho 1938: 154
      = Sarcophaga inaequalis Zumpt 1951: 175 (nec Austen)
      = Sarcophaga milloti Zumpt 1951: 68
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Province, to Cameroon, Rwanda and Sierra Leone

    20. Sarcophaga cruentata Meigen, 1826
      Sarcophaga cruentata Meigen, 1826: 28
      = Musca haemorroidalis Fallén 1816: 236
      = Sarcophaga geogina Weidemann 1830: 357
      = Sarcophaga nurus Rondani 1860: 392
      = Mesothrysia madagascariensis Enderlein 1928: 37
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, to Namibia, Mozambique, East and West Africa, Europe, America

    21. Sarcophaga inaequalis Austen, 1909
      Sarcophaga inaequalis Austen, 1909: 99
      = Sarcophaga falciforceps Villeneuve 1929: 250
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northwestern Province, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Uganda, Liberia

      Subgenus: CURRANEA Rohdendorf
    22. Sarcophaga transvaalensis Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga transvaalensis Zumpt, 1950: 80
      = Afrothyrsocnema ibadanica Rohdendorf 1963: 13
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Province, to Mozambique, Nigeria

    23. Sarcophaga tibialis Macquart, 1850
      Sarcophaga tibialis Macquart, 1850: 232
      = Sarcophaga albofasciata Macquart 1850: 232
      = Sarcophaga beckeri Villeneuve 1908: 122
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Gauteng, to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Madagascar and Europe

      Subgenus: STYGIOPHALLA Rohdendorf
    24. Sarcophaga freedmani Zumpt, 1956
      Sarcophaga freedmani Zumpt, 1956: 74
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Botswana, Mozambique

    25. Sarcophaga dinuzului Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga dinuzului Zumpt, 1972: 121
      Northern Province

    26. Sarcophaga erecta Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga erecta Engel, 1924: 335
      = Beziella voeltzkowi Enderlein 1937: 29
      Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Gauteng, to Botswana, Tanzania

    27. Sarcophaga vanriebeecki Zumpt, 1953
      Sarcophaga vanriebeecki Zumpt, 1953: 80
      Northern Cape

      Subgenus: AFROTHYRSOCNEMA Rohdendorf
    28. Sarcophaga castellana Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga castellana Zumpt, 1972: 130
      KwaZulu-Natal

    29. Sarcophaga vansoni Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga vansoni Zumpt, 1950: 164
      Western Cape, Lesotho, Mpumalanga

    30. Sarcophaga ingwavumae Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga ingwavumae Zumpt, 1972: 132
      KwaZulu-Natal

    31. Sarcophaga demeilloni Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga demeilloni Zumpt, 1950: 166
      Gauteng

    32. Sarcophaga zuluensis Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga zuluensis Zumpt, 1950: 171
      Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northwest Province, Northern Cape

    33. Sarcophaga montivaga Zumpt, 1961
      Sarcophaga montivaga Zumpt, 1961: 3
      Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

    34. Sarcophaga subdistinguenda Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga subdistinguendus Zumpt, 1950: 169
      KwaZulu-Natal

      Subgenus: THYRSOCNEMA Enderlein
    35. Sarcophaga nodosa Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga nodosa Engel, 1924: 324
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northern Province, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Somalia

    36. Sarcophaga maritima Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga maritima Engel, 1924: 338
      = Sarcophaga knysnaensis Zumpt & Stimie 1965: 17
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, to Kenya

    37. Sarcophaga pennopluma Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga pennopluma Zumpt, 1972: 152
      Eastern Cape

    38. Sarcophaga natalensis Zumpt, 1951
      Sarcophaga natalensis Zumpt, 1951: 185
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, to Mozambique

    39. Sarcophaga exuberans Pandellé, 1896
      Sarcophaga exuberans Pandellé, 1896: 186
      = Sarcophaga craggi Parker 1923: 126
      = Sarcophaga dux Zumpt 1951: 177 (nec Thomson, error)
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northwest Province, to Botswana, Mozambique, Togo, Ethiopia, Egypt

    40. Sarcophaga inzoides Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga inzoides Zumpt, 1972: 163
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

    41. Sarcophaga inzi Curran, 1934
      Sarcophaga inzi Curran, 1934: 16
      = Sarcophaga parinzi Zumpt 1964: 74
      Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Northern Province, Northern Cape, to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Togo

      Subgenus: LIOPYGIA Enderlein
    42. Sarcophaga ruficornis (Fabricius, 1794)
      Musca ruficornis Fabricius, 1794: 314
      = Sarcophaga muspratti Zumpt 1950: 165
      KwaZulu-Natal, (Oriental synanthrope)

    43. Sarcophaga limpopoensis Zumpt, 1956
      Sarcophaga limpopoensis Zumpt, 1956: 76
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Mozambique

    44. Sarcophaga santosdiasi Zumpt, 1951
      Sarcophaga santos-diasi Zumpt, 1951: 188
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Mozambique

    45. Sarcophaga sabiensis Zumpt, 1953
      Sarcophaga sabiensis Zumpt, 1953: 78
      Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga

    46. Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart, 1838
      Sarcophaga crassipalpis Macquart, 1838: 112
      = Sarcophaga dalmatina Schiner 1862: 571
      = Sarcophaga securifera Villenueve 1908: 128
      = Sarcophaga nodosoides Zumpt 1961: 2
      Western Cape, Gauteng, (Mediterranean synanthrope)

    47. Sarcophaga flavibarbis Engel, 1924
      Sarcophaga flavibarbis Engel, 1924: 327
      Northwest Province

    48. Sarcophaga dingaani Zumpt, 1950
      Sarcophaga dingaani Zumpt, 1950: 168
      Gauteng, to Botswana

    49. Sarcophaga hera Zumpt, 1972
      Sarcophaga hera Zumpt, 1972: 188
      Eastern Cape


  5. Genus: PEOCILOMETOPA Villeneuve, 1913
    1. P. spilogaster (Weidemann, 1830)
      Sarcophaga spilogaster Weidemann, 1830: 362
      Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, to Zimbabwe and Kenya


  6. Genus: HELICOBIA Coquillett, 1895
      Subgenus: CYCLOPHALLA Rohdendorf
    1. H. basuto (Zumpt, 1951)
      Sarcophaga basuto Zumpt, 1951: 184
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, to Mozambique

      Subgenus: HYPERACANTHISCA Rohdendorf
    2. H. zumpti (Engel, 1938)
      Sarcophaga zumpti Engel, 1938: 20
      KwaZulu-Natal, to West Africa

      Subgenus: SISYHELICOBIA Zumpt
    3. H. sisyphus (Zumpt, 1952)
      Sarcophaga sisyphus Zumpt, 1952: 108
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Mozambique

      Subgenus: HETERONYCHIA Brauer & Bergenstamm
    4. H. mossambica (Zumpt, 1951)
      Sarcophaga mossambica Zumpt, 1951: 180
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Mozambique

    5. H. evagorata (Zumpt, 1956)
      Sarcophaga evagorata Zumpt, 1956: 75
      Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Madagascar

    6. H. geari Zumpt, 1972
      Helicobia geari Zumpt, 1972:226
      KwaZulu-Natal

    7. H. guillarmodi (Zumpt, 1950)
      Sarcophaga guillarmodi Zumpt, 1950: 80
      Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Gauteng, Ghana

    8. H. angelicae (Engel, 1924)
      Sarcophaga angelicae Engel, 1924: 333
      Western Cape

      Subgenus: UROXANTHISCA Rohdendorf
    9. H. selene Curran, 1934
      Helicobia selene Curran, 1934: 25
      = Helicobia alerta Curran 1934: 24
      = Pierretia (Uroxanthisca) keniana Rohdendorf 1963: 14
      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Province, to Mozambique

    10. H. dispessa (Villeneuve, 1936)
      Sarcophaga dispessa Villeneuve, 1936: 418
      KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng to Zimbabwe and Uganda

    11. H. surda (Curran, 1934)
      Sarcophaga surda (Curran, 1934: 21
      KwaZulu-Natal, to Democratic Republic of Congo

    12. H. munroi Curran, 1934
      Helicobia munroi Curran, 1934: 25
      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Northwestern Province, to Zimbabwe and Botswana

REFERENCES

Dear, J.P. 1980.
Family Sarcophagidae. pp. 801-818. In: Crosskey, R.W. (ed.) Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. British Museum (Natural History), London.
Zumpt, F. 1972.
Calliphoridae (Dipetra Cyclorrapa) part IV: Sarcophaginae. Exploration du Parc National des Virunga, Mission G.F. de Witte (1933 - 1935). 101: 3-264.

This part of A Catalogue of South African Insects revised: