Pupiparity
Guides
Hippoboscidae
louse flies, keds
Hippoboscidae, commonly known as louse flies or keds, are obligate ectoparasites of birds and mammals. The family comprises over 200 species distributed across three subfamilies: Hippoboscinae (mammal parasites), Lipopteninae (deer keds and sheep keds), and Ornithomyinae (bird parasites). Members exhibit dramatic variation in wing morphology, from fully winged forms capable of flight to completely wingless species. Their reproductive strategy is highly unusual among Diptera: females retain and nourish a single larva internally using specialized 'milk glands,' then deposit a fully developed prepupa that immediately pupates.
Nycteribiidae
bat flies, nycteribiid bat flies
Nycteribiidae is a family of Diptera in the superfamily Hippoboscoidea, commonly known as bat flies. These are obligate ectoparasites of bats, feeding exclusively on blood. They exhibit extreme morphological adaptations for parasitism: complete wing loss, highly reduced or absent compound eyes, and a dorsoventrally flattened, spider-like body with backward-folded legs. The family contains approximately 274 described species distributed primarily in the Old World tropics, with some species in the Neotropics and Europe. Most species show high host specificity, often with one-to-one associations with particular bat species.