Silver-flies
Guides
Chamaemyia
silver-flies
Chamaemyia is a genus of small flies in the family Chamaemyiidae, commonly known as silver-flies. It serves as the type genus for its family. Larvae of at least one species, Chamaemyia polystigma, are known predators of mealybugs, suggesting a broader role in biological control within the genus.
Chamaemyiidae
silver flies, aphid flies
Chamaemyiidae is a small family of acalyptrate flies comprising fewer than 200 described species worldwide. Adults are minute (1–5 mm), typically greyish, and morphologically characterized by reduced bristling. Larvae are active predators of Sternorrhyncha, particularly aphids, adelgids, and scale insects, making several species valuable biological control agents. The family has been deployed in classical biological control programs targeting invasive pests such as the hemlock woolly adelgid and pink hibiscus mealybug. Fossil records are sparse but extend to the Eocene.