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Taxa

Diptera

Insect Orders

The true flies: insects with a single functional pair of wings, the hind pair reduced to small, club-shaped balancing organs called halteres. Diptera includes mosquitoes, houseflies and fruit flies, and its members are major disease vectors as well as important pollinators and decomposers.

Facts
Taxonomic Rank
Order 2
Scientific Name
Diptera 2
Member Count Band
Over 1000 Species 3
Era First Appeared
Devonian 4
Disputed
Member Species/Taxa Count
160,000 2
Approximate described-species (or, for a genus, described-taxon) count; continually revised as species are newly described, reclassified or synonymized.
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Insecta, Taxa
Source Catalogue of Life

Parent Taxon Of

Asian Tiger Mosquito, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Black Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Black Fly
Blow Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Blow Fly
Crane Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Crane Fly
Drosophila melanogaster, Species
Source Wikidata: Drosophila melanogaster
Fruit Fly, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Horse Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Horse Fly
Housefly, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Hoverfly, Species
Source Wikidata: Hoverfly
Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Mediterranean Fruit Fly
Mosquito, Species
Source Wikidata: Culicidae
Robber Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Robber Fly
Scathophaga stercoraria, Species
Source Wikidata: Scathophaga stercoraria
Screwworm Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Screwworm Fly
Tabanus sudeticus, Species
Source Wikidata: Tabanus sudeticus
Tipula paludosa, Species
Source Wikidata: Tipula paludosa
Tsetse Fly, Species
Source Wikidata: Tsetse Fly
Yellow Fever Mosquito, Species
Source Catalogue of Life
Sources
1. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ25312, descriptionView the Source
2. Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeView the Source
3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for Diptera
Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
Quote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount
"speciesExtantCount": 175895
View the Source
4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for Diptera
Paleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)
"taxon_name": "Diptera" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 390.5 ... "early_interval": "Eifelian"
View the Source
Wikidata: Diptera
Wikidata Q25312, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Wikidata: Mediterranean Fruit Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Tsetse Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Tsetse Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Horse Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Horse Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Blow Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Blow Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Screwworm Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Screwworm Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Culicidae
Parent Taxon Of: Mosquito, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Crane Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Crane Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Hoverfly
Parent Taxon Of: Hoverfly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Robber Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Robber Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Black Fly
Parent Taxon Of: Black Fly, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Tabanus sudeticus
Parent Taxon Of: Tabanus sudeticus, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Tipula paludosa
Parent Taxon Of: Tipula paludosa, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Drosophila melanogaster
Parent Taxon Of: Drosophila melanogaster, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Wikidata: Scathophaga stercoraria
Parent Taxon Of: Scathophaga stercoraria, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Fly (Wikipedia)
In Group: Holometabolous Insect Orders, Lead
Quote, In Group: Holometabolous Insect Orders, Lead
A fly (pl. flies) is an insect of the order Diptera (from Ancient Greek δι- di- 'two' and πτερόν pteron 'wing'), named for the single pair of wings.
View the Source
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