Diptera

Taxonavigation

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Amorphea
Cladus: Obazoa
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Cladus: Filozoa
Cladus: Choanozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: ParaHoxozoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Superphylum: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Cladus: Mandibulata
Cladus: Pancrustacea
Cladus: Allotriocarida
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Holometabola
Superordo: Panorpida
Cladus: Antliophora
Ordo: Diptera
Subordines (2): Brachycera – Nematocera

Name

Diptera Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms

Nakridletia Vršanský, Ren & Shih, 2010 [syn.: Huang et al., 2013]

References

Primary references

Huang, D., Nel, A., Cai, C., Lin, Q. & Engel, M.S. 2013. Amphibious flies and paedomorphism in the Jurassic period. Nature 495(7439): 94–97. DOI: 10.1038/nature11898 . Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio Decima, Reformata. Tomus I. Holmiæ (Stockholm): impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. 824 pp. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542 BHL Reference page.
Vršanský, P., Ren, D. & Shih, C. 2010. Nakridletia ord.n. – enigmatic insect parasites support sociality and endothermy of pterosaurs. Amba projekty 8(1): 1–16. ResearchGate . Reference page.

Additional references

Classification

Amorim, D.S. & Yeates, D. 2006. Pesky gnats: Ridding Dipteran classification of the Nematocera. Studia dipterologica 13: 3–9. PDF ResearchGate Reference page.
Pape, T., Blagoderov, V. & Mostovski, M.B. 2011. Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758. Pp 222–229 In Zhang, Z.-Q. (ed.) 2011. Animal biodiversity: an outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 1–237. Open access. Reference page. . (PDF) Reference page.

Nomenclature

Evenhuis, N.L. 2010. Type designations of Diptera (Insecta) in the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana. Zootaxa 2653: 37–50. Preview DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2653.1.2 Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. 2018. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names. Part VI: Daniel William Coquillett. Zootaxa 4381(1): 1–95. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4381.1.1 Full article (PDF) ResearchGate Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. 2020. The hazards of Nomenclatural Archaeology? The Diptera names of Theodorus van Swinderen in his 1822 Index Rerum Naturalium quae conservantur in Museo Academico Groningano. Zootaxa 4859(3): 383–396. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4859.3.4 Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pape, T. 2017. Battling the un-dead: the status of the Diptera genus-group names originally proposed in Johann Wilhelm Meigen’s 1800 pamphlet. Zootaxa 4275(1): 1–74. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4275.1.1 Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pape, T. 2019. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names Part VII: Johann Wilhelm Meigen. Zootaxa 4703(1): 1–193. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4703.1.1 Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L., Pape, T. & Pont, A.C. 2016. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names. Part V: Pierre-Justin-Marie Macquart. Zootaxa 4172(1): 1–211. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4172.1.1 Full article (PDF) ResearchGate Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L., O'Hara, J.E., Pape, T. & Pont, A.C. 2010. Nomenclatural studies toward a world list of Diptera genus-group Names. Part I: André-Jean-Baptiste Robineau-Desvoidy. Zootaxa 2373: 1–265. Preview PDF DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2373.1.1 ResearchGate Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L., Pape, T. & Pont, A.C. 2008. The problems of subsequent typification in genus-group names and use of the Zoological Record: a study of selected post-1930 Diptera genus-group names without type species designations. Zootaxa 1912: 1–44. Abstract & excerpt. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.1912.1.1 . PDF. Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L., Pape, T. & Ziegler, J. 2026. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names. Part VIII: Hermann Loew. Zootaxa 5749(1): 1–231. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5749.1.1 . Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pont, A.C. 2004. The Diptera Genera of Jacques-Marie-Frangile Bigot. Zootaxa 751(1): 1–94. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.751.1.1 . ResearchGate . Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L. & Pont, A.C. 2013. Nomenclatural studies toward a world catalog of Diptera genus-group names. III. Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann. Zootaxa 3638(1): 1–75. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3638.1.1 Abstract (PDF). Reference page.
Evenhuis, N.L., Pont, A.C. & Whitmore, D. 2015. Nomenclatural Studies Toward a World List of Diptera Genus-Group Names. Part IV: Charles Henry Tyler Townsend. Zootaxa 3978(1): 1–362. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3978.1.1 Preview (PDF) ResearchGate Reference page.
O’Hara, J.E., Cerretti, P., Pape, T. & Evenhuis, N.L. 2011. Nomenclatural studies toward a world list of Diptera genus-group names. Part II: Camillo Rondani. Zootaxa 3141: 1–268. Preview PDF DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3141.1.1 ResearchGate Reference page.
Sabrosky, C.W. 1999. Family-Group Names in Diptera. Pp. 1–360. In: Thompson, F.C. (ed.). Family-group names in Diptera and Bibliography. Myia 10: 576 pp. ISBN 978-90-5782-026-7. PDF. hdl: 10088/17089 Reference page.

Phylogeny

Bertone, M.A., Courtney, G.W. & Wiegmann, B.M. 2008. Phylogenetics and temporal diversification of the earliest true flies (Insecta: Diptera) based on multiple nuclear genes. Systematic Entomology 33(4): 668–687. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2008.00437.x . Reference page.
Borkent, A. 2018. The State of Phylogenetic Analysis: Narrow Visions and Simple Answers —Examples from the Diptera (flies). Zootaxa 4374(1): 107–143. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4374.1.7 Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Lambkin, C.L., Sinclair, B.J., Pape, T., Courtney, G.W., Skevington, J.H., Meier, R., Yeates, D.K., Blagoderov, V. & Wiegmann, B.M. 2013. The phylogenetic relationships among infraorders and superfamilies of Diptera based on morphological evidence. Systematic Entomology 38(1): 164–179. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3113.2012.00652.x ResearchGate Reference page.
Starý, J. 2008. The wing stalk in Diptera, with some notes on the higher-level phylogeny of the order. European Journal of Entomology 105(1): 27–33. DOI: 10.14411/eje.2008.003 Reference page.
Wiegmann, B.M., Trautwein, M.D., Winkler, I.S., Barr, N.B., Kim, J.-W., Lambkin, C., Bertone, M.A., Cassel, B.K., Bayless, K.M., Heimberg, A.M., Wheeler, B.M., Peterson, K.J., Pape, T., Sinclair, B.J., Skevington, J.H., Blagoderov, V., Caravas, J., Kutty, S.N., Schmidt-Ott, U., Kampmeier, G.E., Thompson, F.C., Grimaldi, D.A., Beckenbach, A.T., Courtney, G.W., Friedrich, M., Meier, R. & Yeates, D.K. 2011. Episodic radiations in the fly tree of life. PNAS 108(14): 5690–5695. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1012675108 . Reference page.
Yeates, D.K., Wiegmann, B.M., Courtney, G.W., Meier, R., Lambkin, C. & Pape, T. 2007. Phylogeny and systematics of Diptera: two decades of progress and prospects. pp. 565–590 In: Zhang, Z.-Q. & Shear, W.A. (eds.) Linnaeus tercentenary: progress in invertebrate taxonomy. Zootaxa 1668: 1–766. PDF Reference page.

Checklists and catalogues

Arzumanyan, M., Tarzyan, N., Rulik, B. & Pont, A. 2025. A preliminary checklist of the Diptera of Armenia. ZooKeys 1262: 241–288. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1262.168630 Reference page.
Crosskey, R. (ed.) 1980. Catalogue of the Diptera of the Afrotropical Region. British Museum (Natural History), London. 1437 pp. ISBN 0-565-00821-8. BHL Reference page.
El-Hawagry, M.S., Abdel-Dayem, M.S., Elgharbawy, A.A. & Al Dhafer, H.M. 2016. A preliminary account of the fly fauna in Jabal Shada al-A’la Nature Reserve, Saudi Arabia, with new records and biogeographical remarks (Diptera, Insecta). ZooKeys 636: 107–139. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.636.9905 Reference page.
Ivković, M., Dorić, V., Baranov, V., Mihaljević, Z., Kolcsár, L-P., Kvifte, G.M., Nerudova, J. & Pont, A.C. 2020. Checklist of aquatic Diptera (Insecta) of Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia, a UNESCO world heritage site. ZooKeys, 918: 99–142. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.918.49648 Reference page.
Kettani, K., Ebejer, M.J., Ackland, D.M.(†), Bächli, G., Barraclough, D.A., Barták, M., Carles-Tolrá, M., Černý, M., Cerretti, P., Chandler, P., Dakki, M., Daugeron, C., de Jong, H., Dils, J., Disney, H., Droz, B., Evenhuis, N.L., Gatt, P., Graciolli, G., Grichanov, I.Ya., Haenni, J.-P., Hauser, M., Himmi, O., MacGowan, I., Mathieu, B., Mouna, M., Munari, L., Nartshuk, E.P., Negrobov, O.P.(†), Oosterbroek, P., Pape, T., Pont, A.C., Popov, G.V., Rognes, K.(†), Skuhravá, M., Skuhravý, V.(†), Speight, M., Tomasovic, G., Trari, B., Tschorsnig, H.-P., Vala, J.-C., von Tschirnhaus, M., Wagner, R., Whitmore, D., Woźnica, A.J., Zatwarnicki, T. & Zwick, P. 2022. Catalogue of the Diptera (Insecta) of Morocco— an annotated checklist, with distributions and a bibliography. ZooKeys 1094: 1–466. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1094.62644 . Reference page.
Wolff, M.I., Nihei, S.S. & Carvalho, C.J.B. de (eds.), 2016. Catalogue of Diptera of Colombia. Zootaxa 4122(1): 1–949. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.1 Title Page (PDF). ISBN 978-1-77557-961-8 (paperback); ISBN 978-1-77557-962-5 (Online edition). Reference page.
Wolff, M., Nihei, S.S. & Carvalho, C.J.B. de 2016. Catalogue of Diptera of Colombia: an introduction. Zootaxa 4122(1): 8–14. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4122.1.3. Full article (PDF) Reference page.

Fossils

Krzemiński, W. & Krzemińska, E. 2003. Triassic Diptera: descriptions, revisions and phylogenetic relations. Acta zoologica cracoviensia 46(suppl.– Fossil Insects): 153–184. PDF. Reference page.
Lukashevich, E.D., Przhiboro, A.A., Marchal-Papier, F. & Grauvogel-Stamm, L. 2010. The oldest occurrence of immature Diptera (Insecta), Middle Triassic, France. Annales de la Société entomologique de France (n.s.) 46(1–2): 4–22. DOI: 10.1080/00379271.2010.10697636 . Reference page.

Miscellaneous

Bickel, D. 2009. Biogeography of Diptera in the southwest Pacific. pp. 257–275 in: Pape, T., Bickel, D. & Meier, R. (eds.) 2009. Diptera diversity: status, challenges and tools. Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978-90-04-14897-0 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004148970.I-459.42 Reference page.
Bickel, D. 2009. Why Hilara is not amusing: the problem of open-ended taxa and the limits of taxonomic knowledge. pp. 279–301 in: Pape, T., Bickel, D. & Meier, R. (eds.) 2009. Diptera diversity: status, challenges and tools. Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978-90-04-14897-0 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004148970.I-459.46 Reference page.
Borkent, A. & Brown, B.V. 2015. How to inventory tropical flies (Diptera)—One of the megadiverse orders of insects. Zootaxa 3949(3): 301–322. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3949.3.1. Preview (PDF) Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Borkent, A., Brown, B.V., Adler, P.H., Amorim, D. de S., Barber, K.N., Bickel, D.J., Boucher, S., Brooks, S.E., Burger, J., Burington, Z.L., Capellari, R.S., Costa, D.N.R., Cumming, J.M., Curler, G., Dick, C.W., Epler, J.H., Fisher, E., Gaimari, S.D., Gelhaus, J., Grimaldi, D.A., Hash, J., Hauser, M., Hippa, H., Ibáñez-Bernal, S., Jaschhof, M., Kameneva, E.P., Kerr, P.H., Korneyev, V., Korytkowski, C.A.(†), Kung, G-A., Kvifte, G.M., Lonsdale, O., Marshal, S.A., Mathis, W.N., Michelsen, V., Naglis, S., Norrbom, A.L., Paiero, S.M., Pape, T., Pereira-Colavite, A., Pollet, M., Rochefort, S., Rung, A., Runyon, J., Savage, J., Silva, V.C., Sinclair, B.J., Skevington, J.H., Stireman, J.O. III, Swann, J., Vilkamaa, P., Wheeler, T.(†), Whitworth, T.L., Wong, M.A., Wood, D.M., Woodley, N.E., Yau, T., Zavortnik, T.J. & Zumbado, M.A. 2018. Remarkable fly (Diptera) diversity in a patch of Costa Rican cloud forest: Why inventory is a vital science. Zootaxa 4402(1): 53–90. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4402.1.3 Full article (PDF) Reference page.
Chaladze, G. 2017. Taxonomy should be more photography based–eliminate need of physical specimen to study morphology. Zootaxa 4247(3): 331–331. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4247.3.6. Reference page.
Convey, P. & Block, W. 1996. Antarctic Diptera: ecology, physiology and distribution. European Journal of Entomology 93: 1–13. Abstract & full text (PDF) Reference page.
Courtney, G.W., Pape, T., Skevington, J.H. & Sinclair, B.J. 2009. Biodiversity of Diptera. pp. 185–222 in: Foottit, R.G. & Adler, P.H. (eds.) 2009. Insect Biodiversity: Science and Society. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-118-94553-7 DOI: 10.1002/9781118945568.ch9 Reference page.
Erwin, T. 2013. Book review: FLIES – The Natural History and Diversity of Diptera. Stephen A. Marshall (2012) Firefly Press Ltd., 616 pp. ZooKeys 261: 85–86. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.261.4628 . Reference page.
Friedemann, K., Schneeberg, K. & Beutel, R.G. 2014. Fly on the wall – attachment structures in lower Diptera. Systematic Entomology 39(3): 460–473. DOI: 10.1111/syen.12064 Reference page.
Pape, T., Bickel, D. & Meier, R. (eds.) 2009. Diptera diversity: status, challenges and tools. Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978-90-04-14897-0 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004148970.I-459 Reference page.
Savage, J., Borkent, A., Brodo, F., Cumming, J.M., Curler, G., Currie, D.C., deWaard, J.R., Gibson, J.F., Hauser, M., Laplante,L., Lonsdale, O., Marshall, S.A., O'Hara, J.E., Sinclair, B.J. & Skevington, J.H. 2019. Diptera of Canada. Pp 397–450 In Langor, D.W. & Sheffield, C.S. (eds.). The Biota of Canada – A Biodiversity Assessment. Part 1: The Terrestrial Arthropods. ZooKeys 819: 520 pp. Reference page. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.819.27625 Reference page.
Wagner, R., Barták, M., Borkent, A., Courtney, G., Goddeeris, B., Haenni, J.-P., Knutson, L., Pont, A., Rotheray, G.E., Rozkošný, R., Sinclair, B., Woodley, N., Zatwarnicki, T. & Zwick, P. 2008. Global diversity of dipteran families (Insecta Diptera) in freshwater (excluding Simulidae, Culicidae, Chironomidae, Tipulidae and Tabanidae). Hydrobiologia 595: 489–519. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-007-9127-9 . Reference page.
Whitmore, D., Gaimari, S.D., Nihei, S.S., Evenhuis, N.L., Kurina, O., Borkent, C.J., Sinclair, B.J., O'Hara, J.E., Zhang, Z-Q., Moulton, J.K., Ribeiro, G.C., Bickel, D.J., Giłka, W., Andersen, T., Rossaro, B., Whittington, A.E., Lamas, C.J.E., Heller, K., Kehlmaier, C., Courtney, G.W., Kerr, P.H. & Blagoderov, V. 2021. Twenty years of Dipterology through the pages of Zootaxa. Pp 166–189 In Zhang, Z-Q., ed. Advancing global taxonomy: the first twenty years of Zootaxa. Zootaxa 4979(1): 1–239. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.1 Reference page. Zootaxa 4979(1): 166–189. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.17 full article pdf Reference page.
Yeates, D.K., Bickel, D., McAlpine, D.K. & Colless, D.H. 2009. Diversity, relationships and biogeography of Australian flies. pp. 227–256 in: Pape, T., Bickel, D. & Meier, R. (eds.) 2009: Diptera diversity: status, challenges and tools. Koninklijke Brill NV. ISBN 978-90-04-14897-0 DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004148970.I-459.39 Reference page.

Links

Vernacular names

Afrikaans: vlieë
Alemannisch: Zweefligler
aragonés: Dipteros
беларуская: Двухкрылыя
български: Двукрили
čeština: Dvoukřídlí
dansk: Tovinger
Deutsch: Zweiflügler
Ελληνικά: Μύγες
English: two winged flies, true flies, flies
Esperanto: Dipteroj
español: Dípteros
eesti: Kahetiivalised
فارسی: دوبالان
suomi: Kaksisiipiset
Nordfriisk: Twiijügeten
français: Diptère
עברית: זבובאים
magyar: Kétszárnyúak
Bahasa Indonesia: Lalat
日本語: ハエ目 (双翅目)
한국어: 파리목
lietuvių: Dvisparniai
македонски: Двокрилци
Nederlands: Tweevleugeligen
norsk: Tovinger
Diné bizaad: Tsʼíʼii / Tséʼédǫ́ʼii
polski: Muchówki
português: Dípteros
русский: Двукрылые
slovenčina: dvojkrídlovce
српски / srpski: Двокрилци
svenska: Tvåvingade
தமிழ்: இருசிறகிப் பூச்சிகள்
Türkçe: Çift kanatlılar
українська: Двокрилі
中文: 雙翅目