Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home
» Guide »
Arthropods (Arthropoda)
»
Hexapods (Hexapoda)
»
Insects (Insecta)
»
Flies (Diptera)
»
Orthorrhapha
»
Empidoidea
»
Longlegged Flies (Dolichopodidae)
Family Dolichopodidae - Longlegged Flies
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia (Animals)
Phylum
Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum
Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class
Insecta (Insects)
Order
Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon
(Orthorrhapha)
Superfamily
Empidoidea
Family
Dolichopodidae (Longlegged Flies)
Explanation of Names
Dolichopodidae Latreille 1809
Numbers
~1300 spp. in almost 60 genera of 14 subfamilies in our area
(
1
)
(
2
)
, close to 7,400 spp. in ~270 genera total
(
3
)
Size
<1 to 9 mm, usually <5 mm
Identification
Range
Worldwide and throughout NA
(
1
)
(
2
)
Habitat
Lightly shaded areas near swamps and streams, in meadows and woodlands. Larvae in wet to dry soil, in standing or slow moving water.
Food
small insects; larvae of some species mine stems of plants
Life Cycle
Pupation in cocoons made of cemented soil. Courtship involves elaborate male display of legs/wings.
Remarks
Pupae have a pair of long dorsal prothoracic respiratory horns and a pair of frontofacial sutures.
Internet References
(
4
)
Works Cited
1.
Catalog of the Dolichopodidae (Diptera) of America north of Mexico
Marc A. A. Pollet et al. 2003. American Museum of Natural History.
2.
Checklist of Dolichopodidae s.str. of America North of Mexico
3.
Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Pape T., Blagoderov V., Mostovski M.B. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 222–229.
4.
Cumming J.M., Brooks S.E. (2006) Homepage for Empidoidea resources
Contributed by
Troy Bartlett
on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by
Beatriz Moisset
,
Lynette Elliott
,
Keith Bayless
,
Ted Kropiewnicki
,
Aaron Schusteff
,
Vox Sciurorum
,
v belov
,
Arturo Santos
,
zdanko
Last updated 27 November, 2023 - 2:16pm