Flat fly, Crataerina pallida on Common Swift (Apus apus) © Darren E. Nicholls, 2020
- Taxonomic Group (English): Keds, flat-flies or louse-flies, and bat-flies
- Taxonomic Group (Scientific): Diptera: Hippoboscidae and Nycteribiidae
- Scheme Organisers: Denise Wawman (Hippoboscidae) and Erica McAlister (Nycteribiidae)
This scheme was established in 2020 to promote the study and recording of the UK species in these two families.
Records for the scheme can be added to iRecord, or contact the scheme organisers direct to send spreadsheet records or for help with identification.
The best reference for the UK species is Hutson, A. M. (1984) ‘Keds, Flat-flies and Bat-Flies: Diptera, Hippoboscidae and Nycteribiidae’, Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects, 10(7). Available via the Royal Entomological Society.
Additional details on the identification of the more recent UK colonists can be found here:
- Wawman, D.C. (2024) Ornithomya biloba, Pseudolynchia garzettae and Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae): three new United Kingdom colonists and potential disease vectors. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 38(2), 160–171. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12703
And updated distribution maps for the commoner species here:
- Wawman, D.C. (2025) Citizen scientists mapping the United Kingdom's and Republic of Ireland's flat flies (louse flies) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) reveal a vector's range shift. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 39(3), 559–575. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12795
Newsletters
A simple identification guide to the more frequent species is included in the first recording scheme newsletter: