Unique-feeding-strategy
Guides
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.