#scuttle fly

Somewhat disreputable-looking humpbacked flies best known for running away rather than taking flight.

The best-known species include the Coffin Fly Conicera tibialis, which can dig through two meters of earth in pursuit of cadavers, and Megaselia scalaris, which is useful in forensic analysis, and, unfortunately, proof of neglect of the elderly and helpless. Megaselia halterata, the mushroom phorid, is a pest in mushroom farms because it spreads Dry Mould, and Euryplatea nanaknihali is the world's smallest known fly at a mere 0.4mm long. It breeds inside the heads of carpenter ants. Another ant-decapitator, Pseudacteon, has been introduced to the US in an attempt to control fire ants.

The taxonomy of the Phorids was revised in 2012 - by three different authors. 'Lively debate' ensued.

To learn more about a bizarre, zombie-like behavior recently discovered in honeybees, researchers are now tagging the "zombees" with tiny radio trackers.

When infected by parasitic maggots of the scuttle fly, the bees apparently desert their hives at night and cluster near outdoor lights, wandering in increasingly erratic circles on the ground before dying. -National Geographic