Pantophthalmidae (sometimes spelled as Panthophthalmidae) is a small family of very large, robust

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 ...

, sometimes referred to as timber flies. There are 21 known species in two genera in the family, all of

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

distribution. Superficially they resemble horse flies, but are only distantly related; they are most closely related to the soldier flies (

Stratiomyidae The soldier flies (Stratiomyidae, sometimes misspelled as Stratiomyiidae, from Greek - soldier; - fly) are a family of flies (historically placed in the now-obsolete group Orthorrhapha). The family contains over 2,700 species in over 380 extan ...

). The larvae feed by boring into living wood, an unusual habit for Diptera, and can sometimes be pests. The adult stage is brief and does not feed at all, and most active at dusk.

References

External links

Tree of relationshipsFlickr
Image Brachycera families Stratiomyoidea Taxa named by Jacques-Marie-Frangile Bigot Diptera of South America Diptera of North America {{Stratiomyomorpha-stub