Order Diptera - Flies

The common names of the members of order Diptera are written as two words: crane fly, robber fly, bee fly, moth fly, fruit fly, etc. The common names of non-dipterans that have "fly" in their name are written as one word: butterfly, stonefly, dragonfly, scorpionfly, sawfly, caddisfly, whitefly, etc.

Diptera Linnaeus 1758

~17,000 spp. in 2,222 genera of ~110 families in our area, the number of described species steadily growing(2); >150,000 described extant species in ~160 families total(3)(4)(5)

DRAFT: Families represented in our area

Classification adapted from(5). Non-monophyletic groups in quotation marks; taxa not yet in the guide marked (*). BG family wish list and how to find members of the missing families here.

"NEMATOCERA"

Deuterophlebiidae · Nymphomyiidae · Ptychopteridae

Infraorder Tipulomorpha Cylindrotomidae · Limoniidae · Pediciidae · Tipulidae · Trichoceridae

Infraorder Bibionomorpha

Infraorder Culicomorpha Ceratopogonidae · Chaoboridae · Chironomidae · Corethrellidae · Culicidae · Dixidae · Simuliidae · Thaumaleidae

Infraorder Psychodomorpha Blephariceridae · Psychodidae · Tanyderidae

BRACHYCERA

Orthorrhapha

Infraorder Stratiomyomorpha Stratiomyidae · Xylomyidae

Infraorder Tabanomorpha Athericidae · Bolbomyiidae · Oreoleptidae · Pelecorhynchidae · Rhagionidae · Tabanidae · Vermileonidae

Eremoneura

Apystomyiidae

Cyclorrhapha

0.5–40 mm

Adult flies, except for wingless species, have two functional wings and two halteres. Males of some mayflies and scale insects have only front wings. A few tiny parasitic wasps, e.g. Mymarommatidae, have their hind wings reduced, but these can be distinguished from flies as the wasps have only one vein in their front wings and flies always have two or more veins in their wings as long as their wings are membranous.

cosmopolitan

3‒6 larval stages(15)

The classification adopted here uses several paraphyletic groups(16). A recent summary of higher taxonomy & phylogeny in (5); major changes expected.