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Home - Species - Concepts - The extended family | Animals | Insects | Flies
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What are they?
Flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges (Order: Diptera) are a group of insects of relatively small size but very rich in species. Its scientific name derives from the Greek dis, meaning two, and pteron, wings, meaning "two wings". They are divided into two groups (suborders): Tipulidae and mosquitos with long antennae (Nematocera, from nema, thread, and cera, horn); and horseflies and other species with short antennae (Brachycera from brachy, short, and cera, horn).
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How many are there?
There are approximately 150,000 described species worldwide (Groombridge 1992, Thompson 2005). To date, it is estimated that this group could be represented by about 30,000 species in Mexico (Morón and Valenzuela, 1993). This estimate was obtained indirectly from the number of species believed to exist worldwide and considering that Mexico has approximately 10% of global biodiversity. |
What are their characteristics?
They are generally small in size, ranging from a millimeter to a few centimeters long although some flies can reach seven inches. Their bodies are divided, like all insects, into head, thorax and abdomen. The head is large and mobile and contains the antennae, compound eyes, which usually occupy much of the head and the mouth parts, which are adapted to suck liquids. Protruding from the thorax are a pair of membranous wings that are used to fly, and a pair of modified wings, called halteres, which serve for balance during flight. The abdomen is somewhat pronounced and has the sexual organs at its tip.
During its life cycle, the members of this group go through several stages. In this process, known as "metamorphosis", they change from egg to larva, then to pupa and finally to the adult (imago) stage in which they acquire the characteristics that we recognize.
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