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Therevidae

Stiletto flies

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Ozodiceromyia nanella
© Kevin Holston, 2003
Ozodiceromyia nanella
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Acknowledgements
Michael Irwin, Don Webb, Martin Hauser, Kevin Holston, Mark Metz, and Gail Kampmeier
University of Illinois, Urbana

John Pickering
University of Georgia, Athens



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What are they?

Neodialineura
Neodialinura sp. (Diptera: Therevidae)
photo by Anthony O'Toole, University of Queensland

Additional Therevid Pictures

Worldwide, the Stiletto Flies (Insecta: Diptera: Asiloidea:Therevidae) have been poorly known and among the least understood of the flies (Order Diptera). Diptera are among the poorest known of the larger insect orders. Yet, this fascinating, medium-sized (>1,600 spp.) family of flies is critical to the sound functioning of arid and semiarid environments, including agroecosystems and forests in those zones. Individuals of this family have been infrequently collected because the adults are usually secretive, frequenting habitats rarely sampled by collectors.

 

   
The predaceous larvae are hidden within dry, friable, often sandy substrates. Consequently, larvae of these flies may well be excellent control agents of active fossorial arthropod pests in sandy agroecosystems. Furthermore, their abundance can be an indirect measure of subterranean productivity, and their diversity may be an excellent indicator of habitat heterogeneity.  

Therevid larva
Thereva fucata Loew (Diptera: Therevidae)
photo by M. E. Irwin

 

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Last updated12 October, 2007 .

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