Only 1 pair of wings (on mesothorax). Hind wings are reduced to halteres.
Mostly small insects.
Importance as plant pests, but also bloodsucking flies, important as
vectors of human and animal diseases (malaria, sleeping sickness).
Mouthparts of sucking type. Often adapted to absorb liquids, sometimes
piercing.
Complete metamorphosis.
Larvae are called maggots. Legless, wormlike larvae, often with a
reduced head. Many larvae live in water. In plant feeding species the
larvae often live within the plant tissues, leaf miners, gall insects,
stem or root borers.
Adult diptera feed on plant juices, like nectar. Some are blood feeding
on animals. Many are predaceous on other insects.
Families
The order Diptera is divided into a number of families. Some families
containing important agricultural pests are:
