How many families of Diptera are there?

188 families
Diptera diversity These species are classified into 188 families (see list of recognized families) and some 10,000 genera. Of these, some 3,125 species are known only from fossils, the oldest of which, a limoniid crane fly, is some 225 MILLION years old (Upper Triassic (Carnian)).

What is the Diptera group of insects?

Life History & Ecology. The order Diptera includes all true flies. These insects are distinctive because their hind wings are reduced to small, club-shaped structures called halteres – only the membranous front wings serve as aerodynamic surfaces.

How many species of Diptera are there on UK?

5,500 species
It is partly as a result of this flying prowess that the Diptera is such a successful group of insects. There are around 100,000 known species of two-winged flies in the world today, of which some 15,000 can be found in Europe, and around 5,500 species in the British Isles.

What family is the fly in?

Muscidae

Housefly
Order: Diptera
Family: Muscidae
Genus: Musca
Species: M. domestica

Is Dragonfly a Diptera?

True flies. Although a lot of flying insects are referred to as “flies” — butterflies, dragonflies, mayflies, and so on — the true flies belong to the Diptera.

Is Diptera a family or order?

This is a list of the families of the order Diptera (true flies). The classification is based largely on Pape et al. (2011). Many of the fossil species are of uncertain placement and are retained in separate lists broadly under Nematocera and Brachycera.

Why are there so many fruit flies in my house UK?

The main reason fruit flies would be in your house is because they are attracted to one or a number of scents. Fruit flies love the smell of ripened fruit, as their name suggests, both of which are commonly found in your kitchen.

Where are Diptera found?

Habitats. Diptera occur all over the world except in regions with permanent ice-cover. They are found in most land biomes (all 14 WWF major habitat types) including deserts and the tundra. Insects are the most diverse group of Arctic animals (about 3,300species), of which about 50% are Diptera.

How many flies are born at once?

Within a week of mating, a doggie-style activity lasting from a few seconds to several minutes (not unlike humans), a female fly will lay an average of 120 eggs. She prefers to deposit her potential offspring in nice warm manure.

Why is Diptera called the true fly?

This order contains the true flies. These insects have one pair of flight wings and a pair of modified hind wings called halteres, which are used for balancing. The mouthparts of the adults may be sucking, piercing-sucking, cutting-sponging, or sponging.

Why Diptera are called true flies?

Diptera are known by entomologists as “true flies” and possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres (modified, tiny wings), derived from the hind wings.