In the Limpach Valley in the Swiss Central Plateau the Scuttle flies (Phoridae) of a wetland, a semiarid grassland, sown grass fields and crop fields were investigated. Using window traps. 5090 Scuttle flies were caught from March to August 1987. 80 species were found in the samples. The semiarid grassland was rich in individuals and species, while in the wetland the least individuals of all sites were collected. On the sown grass fields and the crop fields the composition of species was more similar than on the other sites.
The most abundant Scuttle fly species of the investigation was Megaselia pusilla. The number of males comprised 38.6% of the total catch of Phoridae. Conicera dauci, Megaselia brevicostalis. M. pleuralis, M. plurispinulosa. Metopina oligoneura and Triphleba nudipalpis were common species too.
The following 31 species of the survey were new to the Swiss fauna but already mentioned in the Checklist of Swiss Diptera: Anevrina curvinervis. A. thoracica, A. unispinosa, A. urbana. Borophaga femorata. Conicera tibialis. Diplonevra funebris, Megaselia albocingulata, M. clemonsi, M. dahli, M. drakei, M.furva, M. hortensis, M. insons, M. latior, M. nigra, M. perdistans, M. rufa, M. rufifrons. M. spinicincta, M. stigmatica, M. subfraiidiilenta, M. unguìcularis, Metopina braueri, M. oligoneura, M. perpiisilla, M. pileata, Plectanocnema nudipes, Psettdacteon brevicauda, Triphleba intermedia and Triphleba papillota. Furthermore, 4 species new for Switzerland were found after the Checklist had been published: Megaselia abdita, M. costalis, M. curvicapilla, and M. mallochi. Two males of the genus Megaselia belong to a new. undescribed species. Two further males are paratypes of Xenotriphleba dentistylata Buck. 1997. also already included in the Checklist of Swiss Diptera.