[2] They are medium-sized flies occurring mainly in temperate regions on seashores of the Northern Hemisphere, where they and their larvae typically feed on stranded kelp in the wrack zone.

[2] He distinguished it from other families to which Heterocheila had hitherto been referred at various times and by various authorities[3] – Helcomyzidae, Dryomyzidae and Coelopidae.

[4] For terms see Morphology of Diptera The Heterocheilidae are medium to moderately large (body length 4.2-6.5 mm), fairly robust, brown flies Their postverical bristles are long and often parallel.

The acrostichal bristles are in a single row with a larger prescutellar pair; the metepisternum is bare.

This article related to members of the muscomorph flies superfamily Sciomyzoidea is a stub.