House of Fly - Stilt-Legged Flies

Family Micropezidae - Stilt-legged Flies

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Nerioidea

Family Micropezidae (Stilt-legged Flies)

Other Common Names

Small-footed Flies

Explanation of Names

Micropezidae Blanchard 1840

Size

4-15 mm

Identification

Known for their walking around and lifting their prominently marked front legs imitating ichneumon wasps(3)

review of our fauna, with keys, in(4)

key to western spp. in(5)

Range

Worldwide, much more diverse in the tropics, poorly represented in cooler climes(3)

Habitat

Moist areas, marshes, wet woods

Food

Adults of some species are attracted to rotting fruit or dung; in other species adults are predaceous; larvae saprophagous

Source : http://bugguide.net/node/view