Flies, gnats and mosquitoes (Diptera)
Flies and mosquitoes are remarkable insects: they are very good flyers, yet have one pair of wings only. The other pair has almost disappeared, but can be seen as two little knobs on a stick at the sides. They are used for balancing during flights. There are some 120,000 species known, including the most common 'pet': the Common House Fly. Many more species still fly about undiscovered. Some experts believe that there may be well over 1 million species. All diptera belong to those insects that must go through all stages of development: egg-larva-pupa-adult. The larvae, of many species just called maggots, often look like worms and bear no resemblance to the adults.
Robberflies, Stiletto flies and Dance flies Various families
Robberflies, Stiletto flies and Dance flies are not closely related at all, but they have some chracteristics in common. They are all elongated, slender and rather big flies. They all hunt for other insects, especially other flies, which they usually attack in flight. And many species are regularly seen in gardens, parks and forests. Some Stilettoflies have a very big snout, but none of the species is capable of biting a human.
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