| The order Diptera includes insects which can be the most annoying to humans as well as numerous others that are often misunderstood or ignored. The bloodsucking and sometimes disease-passing pests like mosquitoes, blackflies, horseflies and the irritating common housefly may all be harmful to humans but in the natural world they are an important source of food for other animals. |
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March Fly, Bibio sp |
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Blue Bottle, Calliphora sp |
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Tachinid Fly, Pararchytas decisus |
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Green Bottle Fly, Lucilia caesar |
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Robber Fly, Nicocles rufus |
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Robber Fly, Neomochtherus willistoni |
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Other members of Diptera are important pollinators. This group includes the the Hover or Garden flies which look a lot like wasps or bees but don't sting in the least bit. In fact, they are sometimes referred to as bee, wasp or yellow-jacket mimics. |
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Parasitic Fly, Tachina grossa |
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Flower Fly, Hadromyia crawfordi |
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Hover Fly, Dasysyrphus osborni |
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Toxomerus Flower Fly, Toxomerus geminatus |
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Conopid Fly, Myopa buccata |
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Thick-headed Fly Physocephala sp |
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Bee Fly, Exoprosopa dorcadion |
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Sinuous Bee Fly, Hemipenthes sinuosa |
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Syrphid Fly, Sericomyia militaris |
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Hover Fly, Melangyna umbellatarum |
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Helophilus sp |
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Helophilus sp |
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The important feature which places all of these insects into this diverse order is the fact that they all have only two wings. "Diptera" means "two-winged" in Greek. They also have tiny drum-stick shaped organs called halteres beneath each wing which are used as stabilizers.
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