Internal-parasite-of-ants
Guides
Microdon
Ant Flies
Microdon is a genus of hover flies (Syrphidae) in the subfamily Microdontinae, containing approximately 249 species worldwide with greatest diversity in the tropics. The genus is notable for its myrmecophilous lifestyle: adults remain near ant colonies rather than visiting flowers, and larvae develop inside ant nests. Adults are morphologically atypical for hover flies—sedentary, robust, very hairy, and often bee-like in appearance. Larvae are dome-shaped, slug-like, and slow-moving, with spiracles on a peg-like posterior protuberance. The genus has historically served as a catch-all for unrelated species, and ongoing taxonomic revision is expected to reassign many species to other genera.