insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

flies Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced m ...

Sphaeroceridae Sphaeroceridae are a family of true flies in the order Diptera, often called small dung flies, lesser dung flies or lesser corpse flies due to their saprophagous habits. They belong to the typical fly suborder Brachycera as can be seen by their ...

Mycetophilidae The Mycetophilidae are a family of small flies, forming the bulk of those species known as fungus gnats. About 3000 described species are placed in 150 genera, but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. They are generally found i ...

Psychodidae Psychodidae, called drain flies, sink flies, filter flies, sewer flies, or sewer gnats, is a family of Fly, true flies. Some genera have short, hairy bodies and wings giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance, hence one of their common names, m ...

Phoridae The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. Phorid flies can often be identified by their escape habit of running rapidly across a surface rather than taking to the wing. This behaviour is a source of one of thei ...

Tipulidae Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. In the m ...

Mycetophilidae The Mycetophilidae are a family of small flies, forming the bulk of those species known as fungus gnats. About 3000 described species are placed in 150 genera, but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. They are generally found i ...

Culicidae Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

Psychodidae Psychodidae, called drain flies, sink flies, filter flies, sewer flies, or sewer gnats, is a family of Fly, true flies. Some genera have short, hairy bodies and wings giving them a "furry" moth-like appearance, hence one of their common names, m ...

Nemestrinidae Nemestrinidae, or tangle-veined flies is a family of flies in the superfamily Nemestrinoidea, closely related to Acroceridae. The family is small but distributed worldwide, with about 300 species in 34 genera. Larvae are endoparasitoids of eith ...

Therevidae The Therevidae are a family of flies of the superfamily Asiloidea commonly known as stiletto flies. The family contains about 1,600 described species worldwide, most diverse in arid and semiarid regions with sandy soils. The larvae are predator ...

Bombyliidae The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects. Overview The Bombyliidae are a large family of fl ...

zoobenthos Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone.freshwater ecosystems. families are

Chironomidae The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many specie ...

(very significant), Stratiomyidae,

Ephydridae Ephydridae (shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of insects in the order Diptera. Shore flies are tiny flies that can be found near seashores or at smaller inland waters, such as ponds. About 2,000 species have been described worldwide, in ...

,

Dixidae The Dixidae (meniscus midges) are a family of aquatic nematoceran flies (Diptera). The larvae live in unpolluted, standing fresh waters, just beneath the surface film, usually amongst marginal aquatic vegetation. They are found in all continents ...

and

Tipulidae Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. In the m ...

.

Soil dwelling Diptera

Larval stages of many Diptera species can be found in soil and many species developing in other terrestrial habitats such as dung carrion or other pupate in soil. Chironomide, Sciaridae, Cecidomiidae are most abundant in terms of biomass Tipulidae and bibiobidae dominate. Many of them such as Bibionidae significantly may consume substantial amount of annual litter fall and contribute to soil organic matter transformation.

Feeding

Food habits of most species are largely unknown but broad statements may be made. Diptera are important pollinators and plant pests.

Detritivores

Many Diptera are

detritivores Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders, or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

. Typical are ''

Dryomyza anilis ''Dryomyza anilis'' is a common fly from the family Dryomyzidae. The fly is found through various areas in the Northern hemisphere and has brown and orange coloration with distinctive large red eyes. The life span of the fly is not known, but ...

'' and, notably, ''

Musca domestica The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It is believed to have evolved in the Cenozoic Era, possibly in the Middle East, and has spread all over the world as a commensal of humans. It is the most common f ...

''.

Flower feeders

Many adult

Brachycera The Brachycera are a suborder of the order Diptera. It is a major suborder consisting of around 120 families. Their most distinguishing characteristic is reduced antenna segmentation. Description A summary of the main physical characteristics i ...

feed on flowers notably hover fly which obtain all their protein requirements by feeding on pollen. The

Calyptratae Calyptratae is a subsection of Schizophora in the insect order Diptera, commonly referred to as the calyptrate muscoids (or simply calyptrates). It consists of those flies which possess a calypter that covers the halteres, among which are som ...

exhibit flower feeding in all families except Hippoboscidae Nycterebidae and Glossinidae and in the

Acalyptratae The Acalyptratae or Acalyptrata are a subsection of the Schizophora, which are a section of the order Diptera, the "true flies". In various contexts the Acalyptratae also are referred to informally as the acalyptrate muscoids, or acalyptrates, ...

the

Conopidae The Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the bioge ...

are well known flower feeders. Other flower feeding Brachycerous families are

Empididae __NOTOC__ Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide in all the biogeographic realms but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empid ...

, Stratiomyidae (soldier flies) and the

Acroceridae The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common ...

like various members of the

Nemestrinidae Nemestrinidae, or tangle-veined flies is a family of flies in the superfamily Nemestrinoidea, closely related to Acroceridae. The family is small but distributed worldwide, with about 300 species in 34 genera. Larvae are endoparasitoids of eith ...

(tangle-veined flies),

Bombyliidae The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects. Overview The Bombyliidae are a large family of fl ...

(bee flies) and

Tabanidae Horse-flies or horseflies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. They are often large and agile in flight, and only the female horseflies bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in s ...

(horse-fly) are nectar feeders with exceptionally long proboscises, sometimes longer than the entire bodily length of the insect. Flower feeding

Nematocera The Nematocera (the name means "thread-horns") are a suborder of elongated flies with thin, segmented antennae and mostly aquatic larvae. This group is paraphyletic and contains all flies but species from suborder Brachycera (the name means "sh ...

include

Bibionidae Bibionidae (March flies) is a family of flies ( Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adults flies being found ''in copula'', they ...

(March flies) and some species in

Tipulidae Crane fly is a common name referring to any member of the insect family Tipulidae. Cylindrotominae, Limoniinae, and Pediciinae have been ranked as subfamilies of Tipulidae by most authors, though occasionally elevated to family rank. In the m ...

(Crane flies) and other families.Willemstein, S.C. 1987. An evolutionary basis for pollination ecology. EJ Brill/Leiden University Press, Leiden, Kevan P.G., 2001 Pollination: Plinth, pedestal, and pillar for terrestrial productivity. The why, how, and where of pollination protection, conservation, and promotion. In: C.S. Stubbs and F.A. Drummond dsBees and Crop Pollination–Crisis, Crossroads, Conservation. Thomas Say Publication of the Entomological Society of America, Lanham, Maryland, U.S.A. pp. 7-6

/ref> Image:Chrysotoxum bicinctum.ogv, Syrphidae Image:Bombylius major beentree.jpg, ''Bombylius''- note the proboscis Image:Phasia barbifrons on flower.ogv, Tachinidae Image:1470 - Nationalpark Hohe Tauern - Bugs on flowers.JPG, Tipiludae (Nematocera)

Predators

Adult

Asilidae The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive pre ...

,

Empididae __NOTOC__ Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide in all the biogeographic realms but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empid ...

and Scathophagidae feed on other insects, including smaller Diptera,

Dolichopodidae Dolichopodidae, the long-legged flies, are a large, cosmopolitan family of true flies with more than 7,000 described species in about 230 genera. The genus ''Dolichopus'' is the most speciose, with some 600 species. Dolichopodidae generally are ...

and some

Ephydridae Ephydridae (shore fly, sometimes brine fly) is a family of insects in the order Diptera. Shore flies are tiny flies that can be found near seashores or at smaller inland waters, such as ponds. About 2,000 species have been described worldwide, in ...

feed on a variety of animal prey. Image:Tachypeza nubila with prey.ogv, ''Tachypeza nubila'': Empididae with prey Image:Frouzet fg01.jpg, ''Dysmachus fuscipennis'': Asilidae with beetle prey Image:Cordilura spec.ogv, ''Cordilura'': Scathophagidae hunting Image:OchtheraWynaad.jpg, ''Ochthera'' an Ephydridae with raptorial forelegs Both male and female

mosquitoes Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small Diptera, flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish ...

feed on nectar and plant juices, but in many species the mouthparts of the females are adapted for piercing the skin of animal hosts and feed on blood as ectoparasites. The most important function of blood meals is to obtain proteins as materials for egg production. For females to risk their lives on blood sucking while males abstain, is not a strategy limited to the mosquitoes; it also occurs in some other families, such as the

Tabanidae Horse-flies or horseflies are true flies in the family Tabanidae in the insect order Diptera. They are often large and agile in flight, and only the female horseflies bite animals, including humans, to obtain blood. They prefer to fly in s ...

. Most female horse flies feed on mammal blood, but some species are known to feed on birds, amphibians or reptiles. Other bloodfeeding Diptera are

Ceratopogonidae Ceratopogonidae is a family of flies commonly known as no-see-ums, or biting midges, generally in length. The family includes more than 5,000 species, distributed worldwide, apart from the Antarctic and the Arctic. Ceratopogonidae are holomet ...

Phlebotominae The Phlebotominae are a subfamily of the family Psychodidae. In several countries, their common name is sandfly; but that name is also applied to other flies. The Phlebotominae include many genera of blood-feeding (hematophagous) flies, includi ...

Hippoboscidae, '' Hydrotaea'' and '' Philornis downsi'' (Muscidae), ''Spaniopsis'' and ''Symphoromyia''

Rhagionidae Rhagionidae or snipe flies are a small family of flies. They get their name from the similarity of their often prominent proboscis that looks like the beak of a snipe. Description Rhagionidae are medium-sized to large flies with slender bodies a ...

. There are no known acalyptrates that are obligate blood-feeders. Image:Hevoset kesälaitumella 10.jpg, ''Haemotopota pluvialis'' feeding Image:Phlebotomus pappatasi bloodmeal finished.jpg, ''Phlebotomus pappatasi'' after a blood meal Image: Melophagus-ovinus-adult.jpg, Sheep ked, ''Melophagus ovinus'', a highly specialised blood-feeding dipteran ectoparasite

Larvae

The larvae of Diptera feed on a diverse array of nutrients ; often these are different from those of adults, for instance the larvae of Syrphidae in which family the adults are flower-feeding are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant or animal matter, or insectivores, eating aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects. Larval Diptera feed in leaf-litter, in leaves, stems, roots, flower and seed heads of plants, moss, fungi, rotting wood, rotting fruit or other organic matter such as slime, flowing sap, and rotting cacti, carrion, dung, detritus in mammal bird or wasp nests, fine organic material including insect frass and micro-organisms. Many Diptera larvae are predatory, sometimes on the larvae of other Diptera. Many

Agromyzidae The Agromyzidae are a family commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies, for the feeding habits of their larvae, most of which are leaf miners on various plants. A worldwide family of roughly 2,500 species, they are small, some with wing l ...

are

leaf miners A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths ( Lepidoptera), sawflies ( Symphyta, the mother clade of wasp ...

. Some

Tephritidae The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus ''Drosophila'' (in the family Drosophilidae), ...

are leaf miners or gall formers. The larvae of all Oestridae oestrids are obligate parasites of mammals. (Oestridae include the highest proportion of species whose larvae live as obligate parasites within the bodies of mammals. Most other species prone to cause

myiasis Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) which grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue. Although flies are most commonly attracted to open wounds and urine- or feces-soaked fur, some spe ...

are members of related families, such as the Calliphoridae. There are roughly 150 known species worldwide.)

Tachinidae The Tachinidae are a large and variable family of true fly, flies within the insect order Fly, Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. Over 1,300 species have been described in North America alone. Insects in t ...

larvae are parasitic on other insects.

Conopidae The Conopidae, usually known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the bioge ...

larvae are endoparasites of bees and wasps or of cockroaches and calyptrate Diptera,

Pyrgotidae The Pyrgotidae are an unusual family of flies (Diptera), one of only two families of Cyclorrhapha that lack ocelli. Most species are "picture-winged" (i.e., have patterns of bands or spots on the wings), as is typical among the Tephritoidea, but ...

larvae are endoparasites of adult scarab beetles. Sciomyzidae larvae are exclusively associated with freshwater and terrestrial snails, or slugs. They feed on snails as predators, parasitoids, or scavengers. Females search out snails for oviposition. Known

Odiniidae Odiniidae is a small family of flies. There are only 58 described species but there are representatives in all the major biogeographic realms. Life histories are known for only few species of ''Odinia'', and no biological information is availa ...

larvae live in the tunnels of wood-boring larvae of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and other Diptera and function as scavengers or predators of the host larvae. ''

Oedoparena ''Oedoparena'' is a small genus of flies from the family Dryomyzidae. They are the only known dipterous predator of marine barnacles. There are only three known species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a tax ...

'' larvae feed on

barnacles A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in eros ...

. The larvae of

Acroceridae The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common ...

and some

Bombyliidae The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects. Overview The Bombyliidae are a large family of fl ...

are hypermetamorphic. Image: Phytomyza.angelicastri4.-.lindsey.jpg, : ''Phytomyza angelicastri'': Agromyzidae leaf mine Image: Forboutaedje anusse moultea waerbeas3.JPG, A young mule heavily infestated with ''Gasterophilus haemorrhoidalis'' larvae Image: Koolvlieg bloemkool.jpg, ''Delia radicum'' Athomyiidae larvae feeding on cauliflower Image: Dasineura pyri 2.jpg, Damage by gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) on pear leaves

Milichiidae Milichiidae are a family of flies. Most species are very small and dark. Details of their biology have not yet been properly studied, but they are best known as kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates, and accordingly are commonly known as fr ...

especially ''Pholeomyia'' and ''Milichiella'' Milichiidae are

kleptoparasite Kleptoparasitism (etymologically, parasitism by theft) is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, which can mean when foo ...

s of predatory invertebrates, and accordingly are commonly known as freeloader flies or jackal flies.

Ant associates

Stylogastrines are obligate associates of some Orthoptera, other Diptera and ants. These flies typically use army ants' raiding columns to flush out their prey, ground-dwelling Orthoptera. Many species of

Phoridae The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. Phorid flies can often be identified by their escape habit of running rapidly across a surface rather than taking to the wing. This behaviour is a source of one of thei ...

are specialist

parasitoids In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionary strategies within parasi ...

of ants, but there are also species in the tropics that are parasitoids of stingless bees. These affected bees are often host to more than one fly larva and some individuals have been found to contain 12 phorid larvae. The subfamily

Microdontinae The subfamily Microdontinae contains slightly more than 400 species of hoverflies (family Syrphidae) and, while diverse, these species share several characteristics by which they differ from other syrphids. The Microdontinae are myrmecophiles, mea ...

contains slightly more than 400 species of hoverflies (family Syrphidae) and, while diverse, these species share several characteristics by which they differ from other syrphids. The Microdontinae are myrmecophiles, meaning they live in the nests of ants. Larval Microdontinae are scavengers or predators in ant nests. Adults of many species of the genus ''

Bengalia ''Bengalia'' is a genus of blow flies in the family Calliphoridae with one authority considering the genus to belong to a separate family Bengaliidae.Lehrer, A.Z., 2003, Bengaliidae n. fam. Une nouvelle famille de Diptera Cyclorrhapha. Entom. Croa ...

'' are kleptoparasitic on ants and will snatch food and pupae being carried by ants or feed on winged termites.B. Holldobler and E.O. Wilson, The Ants, Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1990.B. Holldobler and E.O. Wilson, Journey to the Ants, Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1994.

Swarms

Swarm-based mating systems typically involve males flying in swarms to attract patrolling females. Such swarms are often of immense size. Smaller swarms may be around a fixed point called a swarm marker. Swarming occurs in

Chironomidae The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many specie ...

,

Bibionidae Bibionidae (March flies) is a family of flies ( Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adults flies being found ''in copula'', they ...

,

Platypezidae Platypezidae is a family of true flies of the superfamily Platypezoidea. The more than 250 species are found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats. A common name is flat-footed flies, but this is also used for the closely related Opetii ...

, Limoniidae, '' Thaumatomyia notata'', '' Sepsis fulgens'',

Bibionidae Bibionidae (March flies) is a family of flies ( Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adults flies being found ''in copula'', they ...

,

Platypezidae Platypezidae is a family of true flies of the superfamily Platypezoidea. The more than 250 species are found worldwide primarily in woodland habitats. A common name is flat-footed flies, but this is also used for the closely related Opetii ...

,

Fanniidae The Fanniidae are a small (285 species in five genera) group of true flies largely confined to the Holarctic and temperate Neotropical realms; there are 11 Afrotropical species, 29 Oriental, and 14 Australasian. Adults are medium-sized to small ...

,

Coelopidae The Coelopidae or kelp flies are a family of Acalyptratae flies (order Diptera), they are sometimes also called seaweed flies, though both terms are used for a number of seashore Diptera. Fewer than 40 species occur worldwide. The family is fou ...

,

Milichiidae Milichiidae are a family of flies. Most species are very small and dark. Details of their biology have not yet been properly studied, but they are best known as kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates, and accordingly are commonly known as fr ...

and Trichoceridae.

Chaoboridae Chaoboridae, commonly known as phantom midges or glassworms, is a family of fairly common midges with a cosmopolitan distribution. They are closely related to the Corethrellidae and Chironomidae; the adults are differentiated through peculiarit ...

form larval as well as adult swarms. Image:TrichoceridaeSwarm.jpg, Swarm of Trichoceridae (visible at full resolution). The tree bough is the swarm marker. Image:Swarm of Chironomidae - geograph.org.uk - 563856.jpg , Swarm of Chironomidae Image:Kihulased.jpg, Swarm of Simuliidae - mating occurs on the wing when males form small swarms around visual markers which may be located up to 200 m from the breeding site.

Mimicry

Many Diptera are

mimetic Mimesis (; grc, μίμησις, ''mīmēsis'') is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including '' imitatio'', imitation, nonsensuous similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the ...

. An instance is Syrphidae often are brightly coloured, with spots, stripes, and bands of yellow or brown covering their bodies. Due to this colouring, and sometimes behaviour patterns, they are often mistaken for wasps or bees; they exhibit Batesian mimicry. The wing pattern of the sciomyzid'' Trypetoptera punctulata'' is very similar to some Tephritidae, and might, in fact, mimic the colour pattern of some spidersPreston-Mafham, Rod; Ken Preston-Mafham (1993). The encyclopedia of land invertebrate behaviour. MIT Press. There are several fly species that look like an ant. At least one species from the little studied

Richardiidae The Richardiidae are a family (biology), family of Fly, Diptera in the Taxonomic rank, superfamily Tephritoidea. This small family consists of just over 30 genera and 175 species. Almost all species are neotropical. Generally, the biology of th ...

genus Sepsisoma mimic ants, particularly the formicine ant Camponotus crassus. Several species of

Micropezidae The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and five subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island).McAlpine, D.K. (1998 ...

(stilt-legged flies) resemble ants (especially the wingless, haltere-less ''Badisis ambulans''), as do species in the genus ''Strongylophthalmyia'' and ''Syringogaster''.. Mydidae are mimics of stinging Hymenoptera. Image:Pocota personata.jpg, ''Pocota personata'' a Bumblebee mimic. Image:Flickr - Lukjonis - Trypetoptera punctulata.jpg , ''Trypetoptera punctulata'':

Tephritidae The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus ''Drosophila'' (in the family Drosophilidae), ...

a spider mimic Image:Sepsis.violacea.female.jpg,

Sepsidae The Sepsidae are a family of flies, commonly called the black scavenger flies or ensign flies. Over 300 species are described worldwide. They are usually found around dung or decaying plant and animal material. Many species resemble ants, having ...

an Ant mimic Image:Stratiomys potamida (Banded General) - female.jpg, Stratiomyidae a wasp mimic. Image:OecophyllaMimicMicropezidae.png, A micropezid from the Western Ghats which resembles ''

Oecophylla smaragdina ''Oecophylla smaragdina'' (common names include Asian weaver ant, weaver ant, green ant, green tree ant, semut rangrang, semut kerangga, and orange gaster) is a species of arboreal ant found in tropical Asia and Australia. These ants form colon ...

File:Novitates Zoologicae1910PlateXV.jpg, Mimicry of Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) by ''Pantophthalmus rothschildi'' Pantophthalmidae and ''Mydas praegrandis'' Mydidae

Behaviour

Flies give visual (as distinct from chemical or other) signals during

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private m ...

.

Sexual selection and Courtship

Many Diptera exhibit

sexual selection Sexual selection is a mode of natural selection in which members of one biological sex choose mates of the other sex to mate with (intersexual selection), and compete with members of the same sex for access to members of the opposite sex ( ...

and several patterns of sexual shape dimorphism, such as male body elongation, eye stalks, or extensions of the exoskeleton, have evolved repeatedly in the true flies (Diptera).Bonduriansky R., 2006 Convergent evolution of sexual shape dimorphism in Diptera.''J Morphol. 2006'' May;267(5):602-11. '' Phytalmia mouldsi'' uses a resource defense mating system. '' Deuterophlebia'' males have extremely long antennae which they employ when contesting territories over running water, waiting for females to hatch. Families of acalyptrate flies exhibiting morphological development associated with

agonistic behaviour Agonistic behaviour is any social behaviour related to fighting. The term has broader meaning than aggressive behaviour because it includes threats, displays, retreats, placation, and conciliation. The term "agonistic behaviour" was first impleme ...

include:

Clusiidae Clusiidae or "druid flies" is a family of small (~ 3.5 mm), thin, yellow to black acalyptrate flies with a characteristic antenna (The second segment of the antennae has a triangular projection over the third segment when viewed from the o ...

,

Diopsidae Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by most members of the family possessing "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. Some fly species f ...

,

Drosophilidae The Drosophilidae are a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, which includes species called fruit flies, although they are more accurately referred to as vinegar or pomace flies. Another distantly related family of flies, Tephritidae, are true ...

,

Platystomatidae The Platystomatidae (signal flies) are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea. Signal flies are worldwide in distribution, found in all the biogeographic realms, but predominate in the tropics. It is one of the ...

,

Tephritidae The Tephritidae are one of two fly families referred to as fruit flies, the other family being the Drosophilidae. The family Tephritidae does not include the biological model organisms of the genus ''Drosophila'' (in the family Drosophilidae), ...

and

Ulidiidae The Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) or picture-winged flies are a large and diverse cosmopolitan family of flies (Diptera), and as in related families, most species are herbivorous or detritivorous. They are often known as picture-winged flies, alo ...

. Image:Stalk-eyed fly0035s.jpg, The stalk-eyes of a

Diopsidae Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by most members of the family possessing "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. Some fly species f ...

Image:TerritorialNeriidae.jpg, Telostylinus lineolatus Neriidae male aggressively posturing to another Image:Tritoxa incurva.JPG, The elaborate decoration of ''Tritoxa incurva''

Ulidiidae The Ulidiidae (formerly Otitidae) or picture-winged flies are a large and diverse cosmopolitan family of flies (Diptera), and as in related families, most species are herbivorous or detritivorous. They are often known as picture-winged flies, alo ...

Some

Empididae __NOTOC__ Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide in all the biogeographic realms but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empid ...

have an elaborate courtship ritual in which the male wraps a prey item in silk and presents it to the female to stimulate copulation. Image:Platystoma seminationis copula lang.ogv, Courtship behavior of ''Platystoma seminationis'':

Platystomatidae The Platystomatidae (signal flies) are a distinctive family of flies (Diptera) in the superfamily Tephritoidea. Signal flies are worldwide in distribution, found in all the biogeographic realms, but predominate in the tropics. It is one of the ...

Image:Poecilobothrus nobilitatus - nuptial behaviour.ogv , Foraging and nuptial behaviour of ''Poecilobothrus nobilitatus''

Dolichopodidae Dolichopodidae, the long-legged flies, are a large, cosmopolitan family of true flies with more than 7,000 described species in about 230 genera. The genus ''Dolichopus'' is the most speciose, with some 600 species. Dolichopodidae generally are ...

Image:Empididae Coptophlebia Dance flies Mating 6243.jpg, Dance flies

Empididae __NOTOC__ Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide in all the biogeographic realms but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empid ...

mating. The female is holding with all 6 feet onto a small fly supplied by the male. Image:Pherbellia annulipes mating - 2011-08-25.ogv, Courtship behavior of ''Pherbellia annulipes''

Sciomyzidae The family Sciomyzidae belongs to the typical flies (Brachycera) of the order Diptera. They are commonly called marsh flies, and in some cases snail-killing flies due to the food of their larvae. Here, the Huttoninidae, Phaeomyiidae and Tetan ...

Image:Thaumatomyia notata - male-2012-05-01.ogv, ''Thaumatomyia notata'' Male fanning its wings to disperse

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

s from abdominal sacs Many observed behaviours remain unstudied. File:Hangingfly2.jpg, Tipulidae Kerala Hanging from spiders webs is known in a number of families of Culicidae, Limoniidae, Tipulidae and Mycetophilidae. Image:Taeniaptera lasciva.jpg , ''Taeniaptera lasciva'' Many

Micropezidae The Micropezidae are a moderate-sized family of acalyptrate muscoid flies in the insect order Diptera, comprising about 500 species in about 50 genera and five subfamilies worldwide, (except New Zealand and Macquarie Island).McAlpine, D.K. (1998 ...

mimic wasps by standing motionless while waving their prominently marked front legs in front of their head. Image:Palloptera saltuum.jpg, ''Palloptera saltuum'': Pallopteridae vibrate their wings during courtship and make robotic movements.

Bioluminescence

Around a dozen

Keroplatidae The Keroplatidae are a family of small fly, flies known as fungus gnats. About 950 species are described, but the true number of species is undoubtedly much higher. They are generally forest dwellers found in the damp habitats favoured by their h ...

species and '' Orfelia fultoni'' are unique among flies in displaying bioluminescence. In some species this is restricted to the larval stage but in others this feature is retained by the pupae and adults. It has been suggested that the ability to produce their own light is used by some predatory larvae as a lure for potential prey, although it also obviously makes themselves more susceptible to predation or parasitism.Viviani V.R., Hastings J.W., Wilson T (2002) Two bioluminescent diptera: the North American Orfelia fultoni and the Australian Arachnocampa flava. Similar niche, different bioluminescence systems. ''Photochemistry & Photobiology'' 75, 22-27.

Notes

References

*Ferrar, P. 1988. ''A Guide to the Breeding Habits and Immature Stages of Diptera Cyclorrhapha''. Leiden: E.J.Brill & Scandinavian Press 907 pp. * Harold Oldroyd 1965: ''The Natural History of Flies''. New York: W. W. Norton. * Séguy, E., 1938 ''La Vie des Mouches et des Moustiques'' Delagrave *Séguy, E.,1944 ''Faune de France''. Insectes Ectoparasites 684 p.,957 fig *Séguy, E., 1950 ''La Biologie des Dipteres''. pp. 609. 7 col + 3 b/w plates, 225 text figs.(1950) *Yeates, D.K. & Wiegmann, B.M., 2005 The Evolutionary Biology of Flies. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN, 0-231-12700-6. *Papers by William R. Elliott et al. a
University of Texas Biospeleology
e.g

*Harald Plachter, 1983 Cave-dwelling flies in Central Europe: adaptation to environment, especially to low temperatures (Diptera, Nematocera: Trichoceridae et Sciaridae) ''Oecologia'' Volume 58, Number 3, 367-372.

External links

Ecology of Commanster
Click on the photos for biology info.
Diptera videosDatabase of Insects and their Food Plants
Fly biology, Articles containing video clips

Habitats

Cave Diptera

Desert Diptera

Freshwater Diptera

Soil dwelling Diptera

Feeding

Detritivores

Flower feeders

Predators

Larvae

Ant associates

Swarms

Mimicry

Behaviour

Sexual selection and Courtship

Bioluminescence

See also

Notes

References

External links