Virtual Exhibit on Canada's Biodiversity






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insect database

Metamorphoses: complete

North American Families: 108

North American Species: 18 200


Diptera
Flies

Feeding Habits: The adults feed mostly on nectar, sap or blood. Some adults are scavengers, other are parasites or predacious. Some adults have reduced mouthparts and do not feed. The larvae are saprophagous, parasitoids, predacious or phytopagous. Larvae that are phytophagous live within plant tissues as leaf miners, stem borers or root borers and others form galls on the plant.

Description: The majority of the Diptera are small and soft-bodied insects. They have only one pair of membranous wings. The hind wings are reduced to small knobbed structures called halteres that are used as organs of balance during flight. Many flies also have a calypter or membranous lobe at the base the wings. They have large compound eyes and the mouthparts are adapted for sucking, piercing or sponging. The larvae, called maggots, are legless and wormlike .

Comments: The blood sucking flies are considered serious pests of humans and other animals. Saprophagous flies are also important vectors of disease. Some flies are considered beneficial as scavengers and also as predators and parasites of insect pests. Many of the Diptera have an aquatic larval stage.

Families in this Order

                      


Agromyzidae: Leaf-miner flies

Size: 1 to 8 mm
North American Species: 500

Agromyzidae.html

Anthomyiidae: Anthomyiid flies or root-maggot flies

Size: 2 to 12 mm
North American Species: 600

Anthomyiidae.html

Asilidae: Robber flies

Size: 3 to 50 mm
North American Species: 983

Asilidae.html

Bibionidae: March flies

Size: 4 to 10 mm
North American Species: 78

Bibionidae.html

Bombyliidae: Bee flies

Size: 2 to 20 mm
North American Species: 800

Bombyliidae.html

Calliphoridae: Blow flies

Size: 4 to 16 mm
North American Species: 70

Calliphoridae.html

Cecidomyiidae: Gall midges or gall gnats

Size: 1 to 5 mm
North American Species: 1200

Cecidomyiidae.html

Ceratopogonidae: Biting midges, Punkies or No-see-ums

Size: 1 to 5 mm
North American Species: 500

Ceratopogonidae.html

Chironomidae: Midges

Size: 1 to 10 mm
North American Species: 760

Chironomidae.html

Chloropidae: Grass flies or frit flies

Size: 2 to 10 mm
North American Species: 290

Chloropidae.html

Culicidae: Mosquitoes

Size: 3 to 9 mm
North American Species: 150

Culicidae.html

Dolichopodidae: Long-legged flies

Size: 1 to 9 mm
North American Species: 1230

Dolichopodidae.html

Empididae: Dance flies

Size: 2 to 12 mm
North American Species: 725

Empididae.html

Ephydridae: Shore flies

Size: 1 to 11 mm
North American Species: 426

Ephydridae.html

Heleomyzidae: Heleomyzid flies

Size: 2 to 11 mm
North American Species: 113

Heleomyzidae.html

Lauxaniidae: Lauxaniid flies

Size: 3 to 6 mm
North American Species: 156

Lauxaniidae.html

Muscidae: Muscid flies

Size: 2 to 14 mm
North American Species: 700

Muscidae.html

Mycetophilidae: Fungus Gnats

Size: 2 to 13 mm
North American Species: 600

Mycetophilidae.html

Oestridae: Bot flies and warble flies

Size: 9 to 25 mm
North American Species: 47

Oestridae.html

Phoridae: Humbacked flies or scuttle flies

Size: 1 to 6 mm
North American Species: 356

Phoridae.html

Pipunculidae: Big-headed flies

Size: 3 to 8 mm
North American Species: 105

Pipunculidae.html

Psychodidae: Moth flies

Size: 1 to 4 mm
North American Species: 91

Psychodidae.html

Rhagionidae: Snipe flies

Size: 4 to 15 mm
North American Species: 108

Rhagionidae.html

Sarcophagidae: Flesh flies

Size: 3 to 18 mm
North American Species: 350

Sarcophagidae.html

Sciaridae: Dark-winged fungus gnats

Size: 1 to 11 mm
North American Species: 136

Sciaridae.html

Sciomyzidae: Marsh flies and snail flies

Size: 2 to 12 mm
North American Species: 177

Sciomyzidae.html

Sepsidae: Black scavenger flies

Size: 2 to 8 mm
North American Species: 30

Sepsidae.html

Simuliidae: Black flies

Size: 1 to 6 mm
North American Species: 136

Simuliidae.html

Sphaeroceridae: Small dung flies

Size: 1 to 5 mm
North American Species: 241

Sphaeroceridae.html

Stratiomyidae: Soldier flies

Size: 2 to 18 mm
North American Species: 250

Stratiomyidae.html

Syrphidae: Syrphid flies or flower flies

Size: 4 to 25 mm
North American Species: 870

Syrphidae.html

Tabanidae: Horse flies and deer flies

Size: 6 to 30 mm
North American Species: 350

Tabanidae.html

Tachinidae: Tachinid flies

Size: 3 to 15 mm
North American Species: 1200

Tachinidae.html

Tephritidae: Fruit flies

Size: 4 to 9 mm
North American Species: 290

Tephritidae.html

Tipulidae: Crane flies

Size: 8 to 65 mm
North American Species: 1600

Tipulidae.html