Auchenorrhyncha-parasite
Guides
Pipunculidae
Big-headed Flies
Pipunculidae is a family of flies (Diptera) commonly known as big-headed flies, distinguished by their large holoptic compound eyes that cover nearly the entire head. The family has a worldwide distribution with over 1,400 described species. Larvae develop as parasitoids almost exclusively in Auchenorrhyncha (leafhoppers, planthoppers, and cicadas), with the exception of the genus Nephrocerus, which parasitizes adult crane flies (Tipulidae). Molecular analysis indicates the family originated in the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous, with the oldest fossils dating to the Eocene. Some species are used as biological control agents in rice fields.