(Order Diptera)
Overview • Description • Distribution • Taxonomy
Description |
Adults are 1⁄64″ to 19⁄16″ (0.5 to 40 mm) long and relatively soft-bodied. They have a movable head, large compound eyes, and mouthparts optimized for sucking. Most species have 3 small simple eyes (ocelli) in a triangle on top of the head. Their maxillary palps are well developed but they have no labial palps. They have one pair of membranous wings. The hindwings are reduced to small, knob-like structures (halteres). The last part of the leg (tarsus), corresponding to the foot, almost always has 5 segments. The larvae are soft and worm-like. They have no head and no legs. |
Distribution |
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Sources |
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10/19/2024 |
Taxonomy |
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Class |
Insecta (insects) |
Subclass |
Pterygota (winged and once-winged insects) |
Infraclass |
Neoptera |
no rank |
Eumetabola |
Superorder |
Holometabola |
Subordinate Taxa |
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Brachycera Nematocera |
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Diptera are traditionally divided into three suborders.
Recent classifications include Cyclorrhapha within Brachycera. |
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Synonyms |
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Common Names |
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flies |
Glossary
Halteres
In flies: a pair of knob-like structures on the thorax representing hind wings that are used for balance.
Ocellus
Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.
Palp
Short for pedipalp. A segmented, finger-like process of an arthropod; one is attached to each maxilla and two are attached to the labium. They function as sense organs in spiders and insects, and as weapons in scorpions. Plural: palpi or palps.
Tarsus
On insects, the last two to five subdivisions of the leg, attached to the tibia; the foot. On spiders, the last segment of the leg. Plural: tarsi.
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Created: 10/9/2020 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |