Asiloidea

Asiloidea
Robber fly (Asilidae) with beetle prey
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Brachycera
Infraorder: Asilomorpha
Superfamily: Asiloidea
Families

10

The Asiloidea comprise a very large superfamily insects in the order Diptera, the true flies. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring worldwide, with many species living in dry, sandy habitat types. It includes the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies, which are parasitoids, and the Asilidae, the robber flies, which are predators of other insects. Members of the other families are mainly flower visitors as adults and predators as larvae.[1]

It is not entirely clear that this superfamily is monophyletic, that all of its families share a common ancestor. It is closely related to the Empidoidea and the Cyclorrhapha.[1][2]

A robber fly illustrating typical Asiloidea head features

Families

The Protapioceridae, a family of extinct flies that were native to China, are also classified in the Asiloidea.[3]

References

Media related to Asiloidea at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Asiloidea at Wikispecies

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