Scellus is a genus of flies in the family Dolichopodidae. It is distributed in the Palearctic and Nearctic.
Males of the genus have a pair of flag-like appendages, known as "signa" (singular "signum"), that emanate laterally from between the 4th and 5th abdominal segments. These appendages are connected together by a band under the sternites, forming a U-shaped structure called the "cingulum". It has been suggested by researchers that these appendages are used for visual signalling or pheromone dispersal during courtship. The genus Hydatostega also has a cingulum, but much reduced, suggesting that Scellus and Hydatostega are closely related.
Species
- Scellus abditus <small>Hurley, 1995</small>
- Scellus alactaga <small>Stackelberg, 1951</small>
- Scellus amplus <small>Curran, 1923</small>
- Scellus asaroticus <small>Hurley, 1995</small>
- Scellus avidus <small>Loew, 1864</small>
- Scellus bianchii <small>Stackelberg, 1951</small>
- Scellus coloradensis <small>Harmston & James in Harmston & Knowlton, 1942</small>
- Scellus crinipes <small>Van Duzee, 1925</small>
- Scellus dolichocerus <small>Gerstaecker, 1864</small>
- Scellus dyscritus <small>Hurley, 1995</small>
- Scellus exustus <small>(Walker, 1852)</small>
- Scellus filifer <small>Loew, 1864</small>
- Scellus gallicanus <small>Becker, 1909</small>
- Scellus grichanovi <small>Naglis, 2012</small>
- Scellus hissaricus <small>Stackelberg, 1951</small>
- Scellus knowltoni <small>Harmston, 1939</small>
- Scellus monstrosus <small>Osten Sacken, 1877</small>
- Scellus notatus <small>(Fabricius, 1781)</small>
- Scellus obuchovae <small>(Stackelberg, 1951)</small>
- Scellus paramonovi <small>Stackelberg, 1926</small>
- Scellus sinensis <small>Yang, 1998</small>
- Scellus spinimanus <small>(Zetterstedt, 1843)</small>
- Scellus tshernovskii <small>Stackelberg, 1951</small>
- Scellus varipennis <small>Van Duzee, 1925</small>
- Scellus vigil <small>Osten Sacken, 1877</small>
- Scellus virago <small>Aldrich, 1907</small>
References