Sektion

The Diptera Section at the Museum of Zoology in the Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden (SNSD) conducts research on the taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, ecology, and biodiversity of true flies (Diptera). Our work incorporates classical morphological studies with molecular and phylogenomic methods and contributes to the Senckenberg research field “Biodiversity and Systematics.”

The current focus is on Calyptratae flies, especially in the family Calliphoridae and related families. These include species with ecological and medical importance, as well as pollinators and flies that live with termites. Our studies aim to revise the taxonomy of Calliphoridae (Rhiniinae and Bengaliinae), clarify their evolutionary relationships, and explore morphological and ecological variation by combining DNA barcoding, historical DNA (hDNA) from museum specimens, and phylogenomic data.

Digitization is a key part of our work. The section leads digitization efforts for entomological collections at Senckenberg Dresden and is in charge of high-resolution imaging and databasing. Major initiatives include fully digitizing and photographing all Diptera type specimens and developing workflows that connect collection management with research.

Beyond taxonomy, the section contributes to studies on Diptera in ecological roles such as pollination and decomposition, with applications in forensic and environmental sciences. We also participate in national and international biodiversity projects and support training for early-career researchers.

At the same time, we maintain a traditional research focus on the superfamily Sciaroidea, especially the family Mycetophilidae. This includes taxonomy, faunistics, and comparative morphology, supported by an established reference collection and faunistic surveys in Saxony, including the Dresdner and Königsbrücker Heide.

Together, these activities reflect the section’s commitment to integrative dipterology, combining fieldwork, collections, molecular data, and digital tools.

The Königsbrücker Heide wilderness area is located around 30 kilometres north of Dresden and is part of the Upper Lusatian heathland. Centuries of use as a cultural landscape were followed by 90 years as a military training area and, since the 1990s, an extensive nature reserve. Eighty per cent of the more than 7,000-hectare protected area is subject to natural development without any human intervention. It is characterised by great biological diversity, which is based, among other things, on an alternation of very dry and very wet locations and habitats. We use Malaise traps to study the diversity of the insect fauna with a focus on the insect group of fungus gnats. The fungus gnats include the families Bolitophilidae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae and Mycetophilidae. The adults live in the undergrowth of forests, especially in shady places along streams, in caves under tree roots and on overhanging stream banks, in some cases also in meadows, caves and wetlands. The larvae are mostly mycophagous, in some groups also predatory, and the biology of many species is still unknown. With their adaptation to different forest structures, fungus gnats are particularly suitable as indicators of the condition of forest ecosystems.

KALLWEIT, U. & J. MARTENS (1995): Pilzmücken aus Blütenständen von Aronstabgewächsen (Araceae) des Nepal-Himalaya (Insecta: Diptera: Keroplatidae, Mycetophilidae).- Entomologische Abhandlungen 56: 233-258.

KALLWEIT, U. (1998): Notes on the genus Metanepsia Edwards and its relatives from East    Asia (Insecta: Diptera: Mycetophilidae).- Reichenbachia 32 (2): 341-353.

KALLWEIT, U. (1998): Notes on some types of Mycetophilidae (Diptera) described by G. Strobl.– Studia dipterologica  5 (1): 153-157.

ECKERT, R., MOHRIG, W. & U. KALLWEIT (1999): Ein Beitrag zur Mückenfauna (Trauer- und Pilzmücken) der Höhlen deutscher Mittelgebirge (Harz, Kyffhäuser, Thüringer Wald, Zittauer Gebirge). – Mitteilungen des Verbandes der deutschen Höhlen- und Karstforscher e.V. München 45 (2): 66-70 (Festschrift Dr. Klaus Dobat).

KALLWEIT, U. & E. PLASSMANN (1999): Familien Bolitophilidae, Diadocidiidae, Ditomyiidae, Keroplatidae &Mycetophilidae. In: Schumann, H., Bährmann, R. & A. Stark (eds.), Entomofauna Germanica 2 – Checkliste der Dipteren Deutschlands. – Studia dipterologica suppl. 2: 17, 52-55, 61-69.

KALLWEIT, U. (2000): Familien Diadocidiidae, Keroplatidae & Mycetophilidae. In: Ziegler, J. & F. Menzel (eds.), Die historische Dipteren-Sammlung Carl Friedrich Ketel – Revision einer zwischen 1884 und 1903 angelegten Sammlung von Zweiflüglern (Diptera) aus Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. – Nova Supplementa Entomologica B 14: 1-266.

KALLWEIT, U. & M. JASCHHOF (2004): Sciarosoma borealis Chandler, 2002: a remarkable addition to the German fauna of Sciaroidea (Diptera: Bibionomorpha).– Studia dipterologica  11: 127-128.

JASCHHOF, M. & U. KALLWEIT (2004): The genus Aphrastomyia Coher & Lane, 1949 in Costa Rica (Insecta: Diptera: Mycetophilidae).– Faunistische Abhandlungen  25: 107-123.

JASCHHOF, M.; JASCHHOF, C.; VIKLUND, B. & KALLWEIT, U. (2005): On the morphology and systematic position of Sciarosoma borealis Chandler, based on new material from Fennoscandia (Diptera: Sciaroidea). – Studia dipterologica 12 (2): 231-241; Halle an der Saale.

RULIK, B. & U. KALLWEIT (2006): A blackbird’s nest as breeding substrate for insects – first record of Docosia fumosa EDWARDS, 1925 (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from Germany.- Studia dipterologica 13(1): 41-43.

JASCHHOF, M. & U. KALLWEIT (2009): The Cycloneura Marshall group of genera in New Zealand (Diptera: Mycetophilidae: Leiini).- Zootaxa  2090: 1-39.

JASCHHOF, M., BLANK, S. M., KALLWEIT, U. (2010) Adult morphology of Paramorganiella adventurosa Tonnoir (Diptera: Mycetophilidae: Sciophilinae), including a description of the unique maxillary palpi. Zootaxa 2559: 36-46.

RULIK, B. and KALLWEIT, U. (2011) The Fungus Gnats of Saxon Switzerland – genera Mycomya RONDANI and Neoempheria OSTEN SACKEN (Diptera: Mycetophilidae). Studia dipterologica, 17 (1/2). pp. 133-142.

KALLWEIT, U. (2013) Review of the Palaearctic Acomopterella Zaitzev (Diptera, Sciaroidea, Mycetophilidae). ZooKeys 269: 11-32. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.269.4252.

The Diptera collection at the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden comprises approximately 1,000,000 specimens, preserved as pinned material, permanent microscope slides, or in ethanol, representing around [6300] species across [90] families.

Special Collections

• Tipulidae (craneflies): Curated by Rainer Heiss, who reorganized the historical Tipulidae collection into a unified main series following modern taxonomic standards. He also donated a large portion of his personal collection, preserved in ethanol.
• Cecidomyiidae (gall midges): In 1995, the museum acquired the Cecidomyiidae collection of Helmut Stelter, one of the most comprehensive reference collections for Central Europe. It includes roughly 18,000 microscope slide preparations, 3,000 herbarium vouchers, and 2,000 reprints, all catalogued in a dedicated database.