Empididae

Empididae

[em′pid·ə‚dē]

(invertebrate zoology)

The dance flies, a family of orthorrhaphous dipteran insects in the series Nematocera.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Empididae

 

a family of dipterous insects. The body, which measures up to 15 mm in length, is elongate and slightly downy, with long legs and a needle-like proboscis. Empididae are widely distributed over the earth and are especially numerous in forests. There are approximately 2,800 species. In summer the insects swarm, performing complex mating dances. They are predators of smaller insects. Adults are found on the leaves and trunks of trees and on flowers. The larvae develop in soil and forest humus, although some larvae are aquatic, developing in streams and small rivers.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.