Flies, Mosquitoes and Gnats
(Order: Diptera)
A large order, with 112 families and just under 9,000 species found in Australia. All have a single pair of membranous forewings, the hindwings are reduced to small ‘club-like’ appendages called halteres, which act as stabilising appendages. All also have compound eyes and most have sucking mouthparts of various designs, but the mouthparts can also be piercing (e.g mosquitoes). The adult female of most mosquito species are well-known for sucking the blood of animals (including humans) to obtain the proteins required for egg production and, in doing so have become a major vector of diseases. The males typically feed on nectar. Other fly families also require blood for this purpose, including the tabanid flies and biting midges.
