last updated 23.Nov.2007

Fly Image Gallery (Diptera)

The flies are one of the most diverse insect lineages and by far the most agile insects in the air.  Flies are recognized by the posession of a single pair of wings, their hind wings reduced into knobby flight-stabilizing structures called halteres.  Flies are abundant in nearly every terrestrial ecosystem where they play important ecological roles as pollinators, detritivores, predators, and parasites.  A number of species, including some mosquitos, are significant vectors of human diseases.