Habitats
Ephydridae occupy a diverse array of seashore and wetland habitats including hot springs, petroleum pools, salt pools, alkaline lakes, marshes. As larvae, many are phytophagous, grazing on aquatic plants (including cultivated rice), others are algal grazers. Some species are an important food source for other animals. Others cause damage to agricultural crops. Larvae of some Ephydridae live in very unusual habitats. For example, Ephydra brucei lives in hot springs and geysers where the water temperature exceeds 45 degrees Celsius; Helaeomyia petrolei develops in pools of crude oil; and Ephydra cinera, the brine fly proper, in pools with very high concentrations of salt. Some have public health significance being associated with sewage filter beds and septic tanks.
Read more about this topic: Ephydridae