Climate change has led to an increase in C. frigida blooms along shores, which creates a pest problem for human beach-goers.

C. frigida is also an important organism for the study of sexual selection, particularly female choice, which is influenced by genetics.

[4] Their physical features include a dark brown to black body, a set of lighter colored legs, and large, translucent wings.

[4] C. frigida are commonly found on beaches with a relatively steady supply of stranded kelp, as the fly species is dependent on the decaying green and brown algae for both feeding and breeding.

[5] Research shows that storms and their accompanying harsh weather conditions cause an overall decrease in the life expectancy of C.

Lower temperatures also force C. frigida to incubate in the egg stage to a greater extent before hatching.

Meanwhile, higher temperatures cause an acceleration in the decomposition of algae and also increases the rate of egg development.

Haliday discovered different sizes of C. frigida on the coast of Ireland and gave them the names: C. gravis, C. simplex, and C parvula.

Only after Aldrich and Hennig's revision of the entire Palearctic fauna of Coelopa did the current standing of nomenclature come to light.

[4] C. frigida's egg phase is on average 12.25 ± 1.05 days, but changes depending on the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase or higher temperatures.

Their wings are typically 6 mm and once dry carry them around their current seaweed plot or to other stranded algae.

The algae also provides a safe habitat to live in and a perfect moist environment for eggs, which prevents desiccation.

This waterproofing has been tested by placing adults into a bottle of seawater and shaking vigorously, with the only result observed being still-dry flies emerging from the water.

Mating behavior in C. frigida is dictated by larger males attempting to copulate with smaller females.

Smaller males have a lower incubation time, and thus are more likely to survive past their developmental age to adulthood.

C. frigida are polygynous, with females devoting the majority of resources to laying eggs to increase their reproductive success.

[14] Mating behaviors are genetically influenced, as evidenced by a preference for smaller males among females of a certain genotype.

This dispute was mostly cleared by delving past their physical characteristics into their genetics, in which most of the seaweed flies were found to belong to C. frigida.

C. Nebularum had only recently speciated from C. frigida due to geographic differences, thus it is still widely debated if they belong in the same species or if they're close cousins.

[4] The chromosomal inversion of the alpha or beta allele in C. frigida produces a distinct difference in adult size.

Seabirds (including the purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima) do eat adult flies; however, these birds only peck within the first few inches of the seaweed and don't penetrate deep enough to get to the eggs and larvae.

[16] On the other hand, insects from the Coleoptera and Hymenoptera order have been found to eat C. frigida eggs and larvae in laboratory conditions.