| Megaselia scalaris | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Phoridae |
| Genus: | Megaselia |
| Species: | M. scalaris
|
| Binomial name | |
| Megaselia scalaris | |
The fly Megaselia scalaris (often called the laboratory fly) is a member of the order Diptera and the family Phoridae, and it is widely distributed in warm regions of the world. The family members are commonly known as the "humpbacked fly", the "coffin fly", and the "scuttle fly".[2] The name "scuttle fly" derives from the jerky, short bursts of running, characteristic to the adult fly.[2] The name "coffin fly" is due to their being found in coffins, digging six feet deep in order to reach buried corpses. It is one of the more common species found within the family Phoridae; more than 370 species have been identified within North America.[2]
- ^ Loew, Hermann (1866). "Diptera Americae septentrionalis indigena. Centuria Septima". Berl. Ent. Z. 10: 1–54. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Triplehorn, Charles A; Johnson, Norman F; Borror, Donald Joyce (2005). Borror and DeLong's introduction to the study of insects. p. 727. ISBN 9780030968358.