Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Dipterans And People, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Physical Characteristics

Adult dipterans have large compound eyes, or eyes with multiple lenses, that often meet over the top of the head in males but are usually separated in females. There are two basic kinds of antennae (an-TEH-nee), or sense organs. Dipterans that have long antennae with six or more segments include mosquitoes, crane flies, midges, punkies, and no-see-ums. Those with short antennae include bee flies, …

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Habitat

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Diet

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Behavior And Reproduction

Many species gather in mating swarms, usually around a large, stationary object such as a shrub, tree, boulder, or house. Others use open, well-lit areas such as a sunny patch in the forest or along a road. March flies, also known as lovebugs, form large mating swarms along roads in Central and South America, as well as in parts of the southeastern United States. Many species of hover flies, bee f…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Dipterans And People

Flies are extremely important animals in the environment. Many species of animals depend on both the adults and larvae as sources of food. Many flower-visiting species are significant as pollinators of plants. Some are considered directly beneficial to humans. For example, the larvae of some flies prey on aphids in gardens and crops, while others eat the tissues of plants that are considered weeds…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Conservation Status

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Yellow Fever Mosquito (aedes Aegypti): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: This small mosquito measures 0.1 to 0.15 inches (3 to 4 millimeters) long. It is black with a u-shaped patch of white scales on the back of the thorax and white rings on the legs. The wings are clear with scales along the edges. The white eggs soon turn black after they are laid. Geographic range: This species is originally from Africa but is now established in all tropic…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Stalk-eyed Fly (cyrtodiopsis Dalmanni): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: This species is about the size of a house fly. The compound eyes, or eyes with multiple lenses, are located on the tips of horn-like structures, or stalks, that project from the sides of the head. The distance between each eye on a male is nearly equal to the length of its body. The eye-stalks of the females are much shorter. Geographic range: This particular stalk-eyed f…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Tsetse Fly (glossina Palpalis): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult tsetse flies are yellowish to brown, with forward-projecting, piercing mouthparts. They measure up to 0.47 inches (12 millimeters) in length. There is a hatchet-shaped cell in the center of each wing. Geographic range: They live in western Africa. Habitat: Tsetse flies are found in patches of dense vegetation along banks of rivers and lakes in hot, dry habitats. T…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Spider Bat Fly (basilia Falcozi): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult spider bat flies have flat bodies, no wings, and resemble six-legged spiders. They have long legs with strong claws. The shiny pupae are black and flattened. Geographic range: This species is found in Australia. Habitat: They live on the bodies of cave-dwelling broad-nosed, bent-winged, and big-eared bats. Diet: Spider bat flies feed on the blood of bats. Behavior a…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Big Black Horse Fly (tabanus Punctifer): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult big black horse flies are large, heavy-bodied flies and measure 0.35 to 1.1 inches (9 to 28 millimeters) in length. Their wide heads have bulging, brightly colored eyes. The thorax or midsection is gray, while the abdomen is black. The wings are blackish. The larvae are cylinder-shaped and have fine wrinkles along the length of the body. Geographic range: This speci…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - Mediterranean Fruit Fly (ceratitis Capitata): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult Mediterranean fruit flies measure 0.14 to 0.2 inches (3.5 to 5 millimeters) in length. The eyes are iridescent (IH-rih-DEH-sent), or shiny and multicolored. The wings are broad with yellow patterns. The females have a distinctive egg-laying tube, or ovipositor, on the tip of the abdomen. The larvae are white and narrow toward the head, becoming wider toward the rear…

Midges Flies and Mosquitoes: Diptera - European Marsh Crane Fly (tipula Paludosa): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult European marsh crane files resemble giant, grayish brown mosquitoes with brown legs. They measure about 1 inch (25 millimeters) in length. Their narrow wings span 0.7 to 0.9 inches (17 to 25 millimeters). The gray larvae are known as leather jackets because their exoskeleton is tough and leathery. Mature larvae measure 1.1 inches (30 millimeters). The brown, spiny p…