Calyptratae
Guides
Chrysops cincticornis
Ring-clawed Deer Fly
Chrysops cincticornis is a deer fly in the family Tabanidae, first described by Walker in 1848. It is commonly known as the Ring-clawed Deer Fly. The species has been documented in Vermont and other parts of the United States, with 291 observations recorded on iNaturalist. Research on this species has focused on its oviposition behavior and fecundity, with laboratory studies showing females deposit eggs in gelatinous masses on mud substrates near water, averaging 156 eggs per female.
deer-flyTabanidaeDipteramedical-entomologyovipositionfecundityring-clawed-deer-flyVermontUnited-Statesmud-substrategelatinous-egg-massChrysopsinaeChrysopsiniWalker-1848iNaturalistlaboratory-rearingegg-mass156-eggsrange-42-312near-watermud-like-substrateegg-depositionreproductionbehavioral-studymedical-entomology-researchinsect-vectorsbiting-fliestabanid-flieshorse-fliesdeer-fliesChrysopsNorth-AmericaNew-Englandobservation-recordssynonym-status-in-Catalogue-of-Lifeaccepted-status-in-GBIFarthropodinsectflyBrachyceraTabanomorphaHexapodaPterygotaAnimaliaArthropodaInsectacincticornisChrysops-cincticornis-Walker-1848Chrysops-(Chrysops)-cincticornisdeerflyhorseflytabanidbiting-flyvectoroviposition-behaviorfecundity-studyJournal-of-Medical-Entomology198210.1093/jmedent/19.5.597gelatinous-secretionmudwaterlaboratory-conditionsmean-fecundityegg-productionreproductive-biologyentomologyinsect-behaviorinsect-reproductiondipterantrue-flytwo-winged-flynematoceranCyclorrhaphaAschizaSchizophoraAcalyptrataeCalyptrataeOestroideaMuscoideaHippoboscoideaGlossinidaeCalliphoridaeSarcophagidaeMuscidaeFanniidaeAnthomyiidaeScathophagidaeOestridaeTachinidaeSiphonapteraPhthirapteraHemipteraColeopteraLepidopteraHymenopteraNeuropteraMegalopteraRaphidiopteraTrichopteraStrepsipteraMecopteraDipluraProturaCollembolaZygentomaArchaeognathaEphemeropteraOdonataPlecopteraGrylloblattodeaMantophasmatodeaPhasmatodeaOrthopteraDermapteraEmbiopteraZorapteraIsopteraBlattodeaMantodeaPhyllodocidaNotopteraWalker1848speciestaxongelatinoushabitatdistributionGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBIlaboratory-studybehaviorlife-cyclesubstratemud-likemeanrange42-312femaleobservationrecordspecimencollectionmuseumresearchstudyarticleabstractDOIbiologyecologyhorse-flyacceptedsynonymtaxonomyclassificationUS291-observationslaboratory291-iNaturalist-observationsGBIF-distribution-recordsaccepted-species-statussynonym-in-Catalogue-of-Life156-eggs-mean-fecundityrange-42-312-eggs1982-Journal-of-Medical-Entomology-publicationDOI-10.1093/jmedent/19.5.597entomology-researchdipteran-biologyEulasiona
Eulasiona is a genus of tachinid flies established by Townsend in 1892. The genus currently contains 12 described species distributed primarily in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. As members of the family Tachinidae, these flies are parasitoids, though specific host associations for most Eulasiona species remain undocumented. The genus is classified in the subfamily Dexiinae and tribe Voriini.
Eutrichota nigrifemur
A root maggot fly in the family Anthomyiidae. The specific epithet "nigrifemur" (black thigh) refers to a distinctive dark coloration on the femora. The genus Eutrichota includes species associated with decaying organic matter and root-feeding larvae. Observations of this species are sparse, with limited documented occurrences in citizen science databases.
Muscoidea
Muscoidea is a superfamily of calyptrate flies (Diptera) comprising approximately 7,000 described species across multiple families including Muscidae, Fanniidae, Anthomyiidae, and Scathophagidae. The superfamily represents nearly 5% of described Diptera diversity. Larvae are predominantly saprophagous, coprophagous, or necrophagous, though some lineages have evolved parasitic, predatory, or phytophagous habits. The monophyly of Muscoidea has been questioned; a 2008 molecular study using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA suggested the group may be paraphyletic.
Oestroidea
Bot Flies, Blow Flies, and Allies
Oestroidea is a superfamily of Calyptratae comprising approximately 15,000 described species worldwide. It includes blow flies (Calliphoridae), bot flies (Oestridae), flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), tachinid flies (Tachinidae), and related families. The group exhibits diverse ecological strategies including saprophagy, parasitism, and parasitoidism. Molecular analyses confirm Oestroidea as monophyletic, though relationships among constituent families remain partially unresolved.
Rhinophoridae
Woodlouse Flies
Rhinophoridae is a small family of calyptrate flies (Diptera) comprising 33 genera and approximately 177 species. The family is distinguished by a highly specialized life history: larvae are obligate parasitoids of terrestrial isopods (woodlice), a feeding strategy unique among all insects. Adults lack morphological autapomorphies and are difficult to identify without examination of male terminalia or first-instar larvae. The group was historically considered primarily Palaearctic in distribution, but recent sampling has revealed substantial diversity in tropical and southern hemisphere regions.