An Annotated Checklist of the Irish Two-Winged Flies (Diptera)

Abstract

The two-winged flies (Diptera) constitute one of the larger orders of insects and are very abundant both as individuals and species. They occur in many different habitats almost everywhere. Many species are parasitic or prey on other insects and invertebrates. Constituting an importance source of food to many fish, mammals and birds, they are also important as scavengers or in controlling noxious species. However, some are vectors of disease while others damage cultivated plants. The larvae are usually legless and wormlike. Often lacking a well-developed head, they are often called maggots. The adults range from minute to large insects in which the hind wings are reduced to club-shaped halteres, leaving only one pair of membranous wings. A few species are wingless. The group includes such familiar insects as bluebottles, crane-flies, house-flies, midges and mosquitoes. The present checklist records 3313 valid species.