Flies
Order Diptera
368 speciesCharacterized by having only two wings, with the hindwings reduced to halteres used for balance. Diptera includes mosquitoes, gnats, midges, and true flies.
Species in this Order
South African Robber Fly
Alcimus tristrigatus
A large, hairy robber fly endemic to southern Africa's fynbos and savanna. It perches conspicuously ...
South American Horned Treefrog Fly
Richardia telescopica
A colorful signal fly with patterned wings that it displays in elaborate courtship rituals. Males wa...
South American Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles darlingi
A medium-sized mosquito that is the most important malaria vector in the Amazon Basin and Central Am...
South American Robber Fly
Microstylum magnum
A large, elongate robber fly from tropical regions with a slender abdomen and long spiny legs. It hu...
Southeast Asian Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles dirus
A forest-dwelling mosquito with dark wings and a strong preference for biting humans. It is the prim...
Southern House Mosquito
Culex quinquefasciatus
A tropical and subtropical mosquito that breeds in polluted water. It transmits lymphatic filariasis...
Southern Long-legged Fly
Chrysotus gramineus
A tiny, brilliantly metallic green long-legged fly commonly found on vegetation near water. It runs ...
Southern Net-Winged Midge
Blepharicera cherokea
A net-winged midge endemic to southern Appalachian mountain streams. Larvae graze diatoms from smoot...
Spine-legged Robber Fly
Diogmites angustipennis
A slender amber-colored robber fly with conspicuously spined legs. It hunts from the ground in open ...
Spotted Crane Fly
Nephrotoma appendiculata
A brightly marked yellow-and-black crane fly common across European meadows. Its leatherjacket larva...
Spotted Wing Drosophila
Drosophila suzukii
An invasive fruit fly from East Asia with a saw-like ovipositor that lets it lay eggs in ripening (n...
St Mark's Fly
Bibio johannis
A small black fly that swarms in May. Males have large heads with huge eyes that almost meet on top....
Stable Fly
Stomoxys calcitrans
A blood-feeding fly that closely resembles the house fly but has a prominent piercing proboscis. It ...
Stalk-Eyed Fly
Teleopsis dalmanni
Males have eyes on the tips of long rigid stalks that can span wider than their body length. Females...
Stilt-legged Fly
Rainieria antennaepes
A slender fly with banded legs that it waves to mimic parasitoid wasp antennae....
Stink Bug Tachinid
Trichopoda pennipes
A distinctive parasitic fly with a flattened orange abdomen and feathery legs. It attacks stink bugs...
Striped Deer Fly
Chrysops vittatus
A small deer fly with distinctive dark bands across its wings and bright green and gold patterned ey...
Striped Horse Fly
Tabanus lineola
A medium-sized horse fly with a pale dorsal stripe on the abdomen. Females are persistent blood-feed...
Subarctic Crane Fly
Prionocera turcica
A medium-sized crane fly with distinctive patterned wings and long, slender legs. Larvae develop in ...
Subarctic Flesh Fly
Sarcophaga nigriventris
A medium-sized gray fly with black longitudinal stripes on the thorax and a checkered abdomen. Unlik...
Sundaicus Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles sundaicus
A coastal malaria vector that breeds in brackish water lagoons and fishponds across Southeast Asia. ...
Sunflower Maggot Fly
Strauzia longipennis
A picture-winged fruit fly whose larvae mine the stems of sunflowers. Adults have attractive amber-p...
Superb Ant-hill Hoverfly
Xanthogramma pedissequum
A striking yellow-and-black hoverfly that mimics a wasp. Larvae develop inside ant nests where they ...
Swallow Louse Fly
Ornithomya avicularia
A flattened, brownish winged louse fly that parasitizes a wide range of bird species. It moves rapid...
Sweat Fly
Hydrotaea irritans
A small dark fly attracted to perspiration on humans and livestock. It forms dense head-circling swa...
Swede Midge
Contarinia nasturtii
A minute yellowish-brown gall midge that attacks brassica crops by distorting growing points. Its ti...
Sweet Itch Midge
Culicoides obsoletus
A tiny dark biting midge with patterned wings that causes an allergic skin condition called sweet it...
Tachydromia Dance Fly
Tachydromia umbrarum
A tiny wingless dance fly that runs rapidly over tree bark hunting for small arthropods. Despite bei...
Tangle-veined Fly
Nemestrina longirostris
A fly with an extraordinarily long proboscis for feeding from deep tubular flowers....
Tanypod Predatory Midge
Tanypus punctipennis
A predatory midge whose larvae hunt other small invertebrates in soft sediments. Adults have distinc...
Tapered Drone Fly
Eristalis pertinax
A large hoverfly resembling a honeybee but distinguished by its yellow-tipped front tarsi. It is act...
Thick-headed Fly
Physocephala rufipes
A wasp-mimicking fly that parasitizes bumblebees by injecting eggs into them mid-flight....
Throat Bot Fly of Horses
Gasterophilus nasalis
A yellowish-brown bot fly that lays eggs under the jaw of horses. Larvae migrate to the area between...
Thyridanthrax Bee Fly
Thyridanthrax fenestratus
A bee fly with distinctive clear 'windows' in otherwise dark wings, found in sandy habitats across s...
Tiger Bee Fly
Xenox tigrinus
A large, dramatic bee fly with boldly patterned black and white spotted wings. It is commonly seen f...
Tiger Crane Fly
Nephrotoma flavescens
A striking yellow crane fly with bold black stripes on the thorax. Adults are commonly found basking...
Tiger Hoverfly
Helophilus pendulus
A distinctive hoverfly with bold yellow and black stripes on the thorax. It breeds in muddy, organic...
Tropical Bat Fly
Cyclopodia horsfieldi
A bizarre wingless bat fly with extremely long spider-like legs and a flattened body. It is a specia...
Tsetse Fly
Glossina morsitans
Vector of African sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis). Unlike most flies, females give live birth to...
Tsetse Fly (Forest)
Glossina palpalis
A major vector of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). Unique among flies for giving live bi...
Tumbu Fly
Cordylobia anthropophaga
An African blow fly whose larvae cause furuncular myiasis in humans and animals. Females lay eggs on...
Tundra Blow Fly
Protophormia terraenovae
A metallic dark blue blow fly common across Arctic and subarctic regions. It is one of the first fli...
Tundra Mosquito
Aedes impiger
A small but abundant Arctic mosquito with dark body and pale leg bands. It is one of the most northe...
Tundra Robber Fly
Rhadiurgus variabilis
A medium-sized robber fly with a dark body and distinctive bristly face. It is an aerial predator th...
Turkey Gnat
Simulium meridionale
A black fly notorious for swarming livestock in the southern United States. Larvae attach to rocks i...
Twin-lobed Deer Fly
Chrysops relictus
A golden-green eyed deer fly with distinctive dark wing markings. It breeds in peaty wetlands and bo...
Twin-spot Centurion
Sargus bipunctatus
A metallic bronze-green soldier fly with two characteristic pale spots on the frons. It is one of th...
Two-banded Wasp Hoverfly
Chrysotoxum bicinctum
A striking wasp-mimicking hoverfly with bold yellow and black banding. Distinguished from wasps by i...
Venezuelan Pebble Toad Fly
Pantophthalmus bellardii
One of the largest flies in the world, with robust bodies reaching 40 mm and a wingspan exceeding 70...
Verrucarum Sandfly
Lutzomyia verrucarum
A small sandfly found in the inter-Andean valleys of Peru, serving as the vector of Bartonella bacil...
Villa Bee Fly
Villa hottentotta
A striking bee fly with dark-tipped wings and a stout, densely hairy body. Its larvae are parasitoid...
Walnut Husk Fly
Rhagoletis completa
A fruit fly whose larvae feed inside walnut husks, staining and damaging the nuts. It has become an ...
Warble Fly
Hypoderma bovis
A large, hairy bee-like fly whose larvae migrate through the bodies of cattle for months before emer...
Western Encephalitis Mosquito
Culex tarsalis
A medium-sized mosquito with a distinctive white band on the proboscis and banded legs. It is the mo...
White-banded Hoverfly
Leucozona lucorum
A dark hoverfly with a broad white band across the abdomen. It is associated with shaded habitats an...
White-Stockinged Black Fly
Simulium vittatum
A widespread black fly species complex with distinctive white-banded legs. Larvae colonize almost an...
Window Fly
Scenopinus fenestralis
A small shiny black fly often found on windowsills inside buildings. Its larvae are beneficial preda...
Window Gnat
Sylvicola fenestralis
A small, delicate fly with dark-spotted wings often found resting on windows and walls. Larvae devel...
Winter Crane Fly
Trichocera annulata
A cold-adapted crane fly that forms mating swarms in winter even in freezing weather....
Wohlfahrt's Wound Fly
Wohlfahrtia magnifica
A large, gray flesh fly with dark spots on the abdomen that is an obligate parasite of warm-blooded ...
Woodland Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles punctulatus
A major malaria vector in the southwest Pacific with spotted wings. It breeds in sunlit ground pools...
Woodland Pool Mosquito
Aedes canadensis
A cold-hardy mosquito that breeds in snowmelt pools and temporary woodland streams. Larvae develop r...
Yellow Dance Fly
Empis stercorea
A medium-sized dance fly with a yellowish body commonly found on spring flowers. Males present prey ...
Yellow Fever Mosquito (Forest Form)
Aedes africanus
A dark forest mosquito that maintains the sylvatic cycle of yellow fever virus among monkeys in Afri...
Yellow Fly
Diachlorus ferrugatus
A medium-sized yellowish horse fly notorious for its aggressive biting. It is particularly abundant ...
Yellow Swarming Fly
Thaumatomyia notata
A tiny yellow fly famous for forming enormous hibernation aggregations in buildings, sometimes numbe...
Yellow-legged Dance Fly
Empis livida
A medium-sized dance fly with yellowish legs, a grayish body, and a distinctive long proboscis. It f...
Zodion Thick-headed Fly
Zodion cinereum
A small, grayish-brown conopid fly with a slightly swollen head and prominent proboscis. It is commo...