Flies

All images on this website have been taken in Leicestershire and Rutland by NatureSpot members. We welcome new contributions - just register and use the Submit Records form to post your photos. Click on any image below to visit the species page. The RED / AMBER / GREEN dots indicate how easy it is to identify the species - see our Identification Difficulty page for more information. A coloured rating followed by an exclamation mark denotes that different ID difficulties apply to either males and females or to the larvae - see the species page for more detail.

Flies

True flies (order Diptera) are an immense group with over 100,000 known species. They all have their hind pair of wings reduced to pin-shaped structures called halteres which act as gyroscopes to maintain balance in flight. Most feed on liquids, including nectar and blood.

The Dipterist's Forum offers a huge range of support for those interested in this group.

The families in the gallery below represent flies that are in the dipteran sub-orders Brachycera and Cyclorrhapha which are 'higher' flies, meaning later to evolve than the Nematocera which are displayed in the Craneflies, Gnats & Midges gallery. All families are displayed in taxonomic order. Note that Hoverflies (Syrphidae family) are displayed in a separate gallery.

Identification help

Facebook group: UK Diptera Facebook Group - great resource for posting images for national experts to comment on and identify.

Diptera.info - a forum site with reference photos but best used to get identification help.

Mike's Insect Keys - an excellent range of free illustrated keys to most fly families (and other taxon groups).

Tephritidae - Fruit flies

Tephritid fruit flies are of major importance in agriculture. Some have negative effects, some positive.

LESOPS 39 - Tephritidae VC55 Status - Ray Morris

Lauxaniidae

These are generally small flies (5 mm or less) with large, often brightly coloured, eyes. Many species have patterned wings. The larvae mostly feed on decaying organic matter and can be found feeding in leaf litter, birds' nests, etc.

Chamaemyiidae - Aphid flies

Small, grey flies with 7 genera.

Mike's insect keys - Chamaemyiidae

Dryomyzidae

Phaeomyiidae

Sciomyzidae - Marsh flies

The most complete available key for UK species is Rozkosný 'The Sciomyzidae (Diptera) of Fennoscandia and Denmark. Fauna Entomologica Scandinavica, Volume: 14' but this doesn't cover all UK species.

Knutson & Vala 'Biology of Snail-Killing Sciomyzidae Flies'.

If you are a member of Dipterists Forum (highly recommended if you are interested in flies) there is a more up to date key to UK species available in the members area.

LESOPS 44 - Sciomyzidae VC55 Status - Ray Morris

Sepsidae - Ensign flies

Many species resemble ants having a "waist" and glossy black body. Many Sepsidae have a curious wing-waving habit made more apparent by dark patches at the wing end. Adult flies are found mostly on animal and human excrement (less often on other rotting organic matter), where eggs are laid and larvae develop.