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Dipterists Society

An International Society for Dipterology

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Dipterists Society

Diptera-oriented Resources

The lists of fly-related resources below is not yet fully comprehensive, but is aiming to be! If you know of a resource that should be included, please contact us and we'll consider adding further web resources. We are committed to providing meaningful and up-to-date (albeit sometimes historical in nature) resources and information about all subjects related to the true flies.

This is a long list of resources, so the linked subject areas are listed here:

General Resources:

Taxon Specific Resources:

General Resources:

  • Nomenclators and Nomenclature

Systema Dipterorum — an authoritative source for information about all names proposed for extant and extinct Diptera. The two main searchable components are the Nomenclator and the References database. An alternative site for this resource is at http://sd.zoobank.org/

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature — the web presence of the Commission, which acts as adviser and arbiter for the zoological community by generating and disseminating information on the correct use of the scientific names of animals, including production of the Code — a set of rules for the naming of animals and the resolution of nomenclatural problems

ZooBank — the Official Register of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a searchable, central, authoritative and comprehensive resource for scientific names in Zoology, registering Publications, Authors, Type Specimens and Nomenclatural Acts

Nomenclator Zoologicus — a fully searchable continuous record of the bibliographical origins of every genus-group name in zoology published since the 10th edition of Linnaeus' Systema Naturae in 1758, mostly converted from the digitized print version of volumes 1—9 (which are available here as PDF's) added to the electronic volume 10 bringing it up to date as of 2004.

Index Animalium — a fully searchable electronic edition of Charles Davies Sherborn's compendium of zoological taxonomic species nomenclature from 1758 to 1850.

Index of Organism Names — ION contains organism names related data gathered from scientific literature indexed in Zoological Record

Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera — IRMNG is a provisional compilation of genus names, including species names in many cases, covering both living and extinct biota into a single system to support a range of taxonomic queries

Zoological Record — an electronic index of zoological literature from 1864 to present, available by subscription to Web of Science

  • Major Catalogs, Databases and Manuals

Catalog of the Diptera of the Australasian and Oceanian Regions — this is the updated and online version of the catalog originally published by Neal Evenhuis in 1989

Catalogue of the Diptera of the Americas South of the United States — the original issues of this series from 1966—1984 at the Biodiversity Heritage Library

Catalog of the fossil flies of the world (Insecta: Diptera) — this is the updated and online version of the catalog originally published by Neal Evenhuis in 1994

Catalogue of Palaearctic Diptera — this 13 volume set covering all families of flies in the Palearctic region was published from 1984—1993. Neal Evenhuis produced a complete index for the work

Diptera of Australia — Part of the Australian Fauna Directory, the Diptera section contains pictures and information about the flies of Australia, including distribution, literature citations, type information, and some photographs of types

Fauna Europaea — Europe's main zoological taxonomic index. Scientific names and distributions of all living, currently known, multicellular, European land and freshwater animal species are available in one authoritative database

Manual of Afrotropical Diptera — The MATD provides an up-to-date, well-illustrated means of identifying families and genera of flies in the Afrotropical Region, and is a basic reference work to wide variety of information about flies. The first three volumes are published and volume 4 is in progress. The full works can be downloaded: Volume 1 (2017), Volume 2 (2017), Volume 3 (2021).

Manual of Central American Diptera — The MCAD is the first-ever resource for identifying all genera of Central American flies, and providing extensive information such as economic importance, general biology, classification and a synopsis of each genus. Both volumes are available through the publisher, NRC Press: Volume 1 (2009) covers the 42 families of lower Diptera and the more general introductory chapters, and Volume 2 (2010) covers the 64 families of higher Diptera (Cyclorrhapha)

Manual of Nearctic Diptera — The MND is the first modern treatment of this kind, providing a means to identify all families and genera of flies for a major continental region, and providing a basic resource for information about these flies. The three volumes can be downloaded individually from the Entomological Society of Canada:  Volume 1 (1983) covering the "lower" flies through Empidoidea, Volume 2 (1987) covering the Aschiza and Schizophora, and Volume 3 (1990) covering phylogenetic relationships

Manual of Palaearctic Diptera — The MPD (officially Contributions to a Manual of Palaearctic Diptera) was published in four volumes from 1997—2000, and although out of print, volumes are occasionally available through booksellers. The contents are given for Volume 1 (2000) covering general and applied dipterology, Volume 2 (1997) covering Nematocera and Lower Brachycera, and Volume 3 (1998) covering Higher Brachycera, with Volume 4 (2000) being the Appendix

Manual of South American Diptera — The MSAD is a work in progress, and this is a link to the project page

  • Country or Regional Checklists

British Isles — this comprehensive checklist contains the accepted scientific names and synonyms of true flies found in the British Isles

Czech Republic — this multi-authored work gives a checklist of the species as well as additional information for each family (also for Slovakia)

Fiji — a checklist compiled by Neal Evenhuis during a Diptera of Fiji project

Finland — this multi-work set of checklists for the flies of Finland published in 2014 replaces the older work of Hackman (1980)

Italy — each family name is linked to a list of the genera and species for the Italian fauna

Slovakia — this multi-authored work gives a checklist of the species as well as additional information for each family (also for Czech Republic)

Ukraine — the Ukrainian Biodiversity Information Network gives a nested view of the flies of Ukraine, with the list of families and nesting down to the species, along with images and other information

  • General Regional resources

Key to families of Australian Diptera — a Lucid key from the "On the Fly" CD produced by CSIRO Entomology for identification of adult flies of Australia to family-level

Key to families of Australian aquatic Diptera larvae — a Lucid key from CSIRO Entomology for aquatic Diptera larvae in Australia

Diptera (flies) — a large and ever-growing collection of British flies by photographer Steven Falk

Brisbane Diptera — Part of the Brisbane Insects project, the Diptera section contains pictures and information about flies found in the Brisbane area of Queensland, Australia.

Information on Diptera of Japan — a page about Japanese flies, with photos and videos, as well as a comprehensive page with Diptera-related resources

Japanese Diptera — a collection of Diptera photographs from Japan

Suomen dipteratyöryhmä — the Finnish Expert Group for Diptera is a working group of professionals and enthusiasts supporting conservation, hobby, and research on flies

  • Collections and types

American Museum of Natural History — the Diptera collection has more than 1.4 million specimens, with primary types of more than 3,400 species, searchable through their online types database

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes — a spreadsheet of the CNC Diptera holdings is available on this website, as well as other information about their fly collection; the CNC Diptera types are cataloged in a series of publications

California Academy of Sciences — their Entomology Collection has searchable databases for both the type collection and the regular collection

Cornell University Insect Collection — their Diptera holdings are discussed in some detail, with PDF's of holdings for particular families or collections, and a searchable types database

Linnean Society of London — the world’s oldest biological society, which has in its care several important collections, including those of the Swedish botanist, Carl Linnaeus, and the Society’s founder, Sir James Edward Smith. Designated a collection of outstanding national importance by the Arts Council England in 2014, the holdings of the Linnean Society (which include library, archive and biological material) provide an unsurpassed resource for the study of natural history.

Museum of Comparative Zoology — the entomology collection is particularly rich in Diptera, with their database fully searchable and with many images of types

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle — a database of the MNHN, Paris, France of digitized specimens from the Meigen and Macquart collections, containing information and photographs of their types as well as types from other dipterists such as Blanchard and Becker

National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution) — the entomology website for the National Museum with tabs for searching the collections including flies; also there is an image datase of USNM specimens (including some types) available for download at full resolution and in the public domain

The Natural History Museum — the Diptera collection of the NHM in London has more than 2.5 million specimens, and is a searchable specimen database, giving information and photographs of types and non-types

Natural History Museum of Denmark — the Diptera collection of the NHMD is particular strong, holding types from the collections of Fabricius, Wiedemann, Stæger and Lundbeck and others

Naturhistorisches Museum Wien — general information is given for their important holdings, as well as a list of their nematoceran types

Naturhistoriska riksmuseet — the Swedish Museum of Natural History insect collection has a searchable database, with additional species lists for material not yet in the database

Oxford University Museum of Natural History — the OUMNH collections are searchable from this page, including a general search of entomological collections and archives, and specific searches of the Bigot-Macquart Diptera, Verrall-Collin Diptera, and Palaearctic Diptera collections

Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences — parts of the Diptera collection are cataloged and searchable, including photographs of type specimens for certain groups

Zoological Survey of India Faunal Information System (ZSIFIS) — Photographs of type specimens of Indian insects, currently mostly (if not all) Diptera. A slow and clunky website, but with thousands of species represented, with images arranged alphabetically by genus and species.

  • Societies and Organizations

Arbeitskreis Diptera — a German society (translated Diptera Working Group) dedicated to the study of flies in Germany

American Mosquito Control Association — dedicated to providing leadership, information and education leading to the enhancement of public health and quality of life through the suppression of mosquitoes

BioMongol Foundation, Biodiversity Monitoring in Mongolia — since 2018, offering entomological collecting expeditions in Mongolia, organized at cost price, supporting biodiversity research and protection in Mongolia by building networks and knowledge

Dipterists Club of Japan — established in 1996 for the purpose of facilitating and disseminating research and fellowship among enthusiasts and researchers on flies

Dipterists Forum — the Society for the study of flies affiliated with the British Entomological and Natural History Society, promoting the study, recording and conservation of true flies in the British Isles, including the many Diptera recording schemes, and their newsletters, as well as a very comprehensive page of links of interest to dipterists

Dipterists Society (formerly North American Dipterists Society) — the society upon whose webpage you currently are browsing, whose mission is to advance the scientific study, understanding and appreciation of flies worldwide

Gnatwork — a network aiming to create and maintain a community of researchers across biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Ceratopogonidae), sandflies of the genera Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus (Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) and blackflies of the genus Simulium (Simuliidae), which transmit important vector-borne pathogens

Malloch Society — a society based in Scotland aiming to improve the knowledge and awareness of Diptera, named for the eminent Scottish dipterist John Russell Malloch (1875—1963)

North American Black Fly Association — a society focused on the family Simuliidae

North American Dipterists Society — see Dipterists Society

North American Forensic Entomology Association — the society aims to promote the development of forensic entomology throughout North America and to encourage co-operation with other similar international bodies, with a mission to provide a cooperative arena for forensic entomologists to interact and collaborate in ways that enhance the science, moral and ethical foundation, and reputation of forensic entomology

PINDIP - Pollinator Information Network for Sub-Saharan Two-Winged Insects — addresses the role of Diptera in plant-pollination in the Afrotropical Region by creating a network for Diptera taxonomists and plant-insect interaction ecologists

Tephritid Workers of Asia, Australia and Oceania (TAAO) — a professional scientific organization aiming to broaden interaction and collaboration among tephritid workers in the region

Tephritid Workers of Europe, Africa and the Middle East (TEAM) — a professional scientific organization providing a platform of interaction to promote collaboration and communication among tephritid workers in the region

Tephritid Workers of the Western Hemisphere (TWWH) — a professional scientific organization meant to facilitate communication and encourage collaboration to contribute to sustainable solutions of fruit fly problems in the Americas

  • Online communities

BugGuide — an online community of naturalists who enjoy learning about and sharing observations of insects, spiders, and other related creatures using photographs. With photographs arranged according to current classification, this resource is a critical knowledge base for North American arthropods. The Guide pages for Diptera are remarkably comprehensive

iNaturalist — one of the world’s most popular nature apps, iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you, and by recording and sharing your observations, research quality data are being produced. There is excellent coverage of the order Diptera here. On many occasions, new species have been discovered here

Diptera.info — an interactive site for dipterists from all continents dealing with all aspects of dipterology and dipterists, with submissions open for members. Submissions include links to dipterological websites and events, dipterological queries in the forum, articles and news on Diptera, and photographs for the Diptera Gallery

flickr — a popular online photo management and sharing application, with excellent coverage of the order Diptera and a vibrant community making identifications. On many occasions, new species have been discovered here

The New Diptera Site — a community driven site for authoritative information on flies

Online-Keys.net — a community of dipterists who create online dichotomous keys for identifying European flies, including keys to the species in many genera and families

Wikispecies — a free wiki species directory covering animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, protists, Archaea, and all other forms of life. Can be searched or browsed through the hierarchical tables, the Diptera dataset is still quite incomplete, but may become a more comprehensive resource as collaborators add to it

  • Journals, newsletters and other publications

The British Simuliid Group Bulletin — a complete set of the Bulletin and the Newsletter of the British Simuliid Group are available for download

Bulletin of the Dipterists Forum — a semiannual publication with a diverse mix of articles and news about flies

Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification — a web-based journal with many important Diptera contributions including several works each on Calliphoridae and Tabanidae and other works on clusiids, piophilids, anthomyids, bee flies, mosquitoes, fruit flies, syrphids, drosophilids, sciomyzids and asilids

Ceratopogonidae Information Exchange — a newsletter running since 1968 dealing with any subject having some bearing on the study of ceratopogonids, to facilitate communication among workers. PDF's are available only starting with volume 56 (November 1995)

Chironomus — the Journal of Chironomidae Research publishes peer-reviewed research articles on all aspects of chironomid research, also serving as the news bulletin for the chironomid research community

Dipterists Digest — the journal of the Dipterists Forum, with many issues available for download, and some still available

Dipteron — the Bulletin of the Dipterological Section of the Polish Entomological Society

Drosophila Information Service — a journal devoted to disseminating information useful to researchers, teachers, and students about Drosophila, including descriptions of new techniques, research reports, new mutants, teaching exercises, summaries of recent regional and national conferences, and general announcements of interest to the research community

Fly — an international peer-reviewed journal focused on Drosophila research across many subdisciplines

Fly Times — the newsletter of the Dipterists Society

Fly Times Supplement — the version of Fly Times for larger manuscripts, from the Dipterists Society

The Flyer — a short-lived newsletter for and about Diptera workers, to increase communication among people interested in flies. Only three issues were produced, including a 2nd (slightly updated and corrected) version of issue 1. These are available here for the first time online:
Issue 1 (Summer 1986)
Issue 1, 2nd edition (Fall 1986)
Issue 2 (Summer 1988)

Fruit Fly News — a newsletter for tephritid workers that had a slow start in 1972, publishing an issue every 1-3 years until 1992 before ceasing altogether until its reboot in 2009, after which point there have been three issues per year for most years

Gnatwork Newsletter — the newsletter of the Gnatwork network in vector-borne disease research, focusing on biting midges of the genus Culicoides (Ceratopogonidae), sandflies of the genera Lutzomyia and Phlebotomus (Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) and blackflies of the genus Simulium (Simuliidae)

Hana Abu — the journal of the Dipterists Club of Japan, this link is to the complete tables of contents, not PDF's to articles

International Congresses of Dipterology — the programs, abstract volumes and delegate lists for the International Congresses of Dipterology (ICD):
9th ICD (2018, Namibia): Scientific Program; Abstract Volume; Delegate List
8th ICD (2014, Germany): Scientific Program; Abstract Volume; Abstract Volume Supplement; Delegate List
7th ICD (2010, Costa Rica): Scientific Program (talks, posters); Abstract Volume; Delegate List (by name, by country)
6th ICD (2006, Japan): Scientific Program and Delegate List; Abstract Volume
5th ICD (2002, Australia): Provisional Program
4th ICD (1998, United Kingdom): coming soon
3rd ICD (1994, Canada): coming soon
2nd ICD (1990, Czechoslovakia): coming soon
1st ICD (1986, Hungary): coming soon

International Journal of Dipterological Research — a journal focused on flies out of the Russian Academy of Sciences (the website for this journal has gone down, likely due to the recent death of the editor-in-chief, but the link provided here is from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, with the site having been archived in February 2020)

International Journal of Mosquito Research — an open access journal with articles on all aspects of mosquitoes, including taxonomy, vector biology, diseases, epidemiology, ecology, surveillance, and control

International Symposia on Syrphidae — the available abstract volumes for the International Symposia on Syrphidae (ISS):
11th ISS (2022, France): Programme and Abstracts
10th ISS (2019, Greece): Programme and Book of Abstracts
8th ISS (2015, Germany): Programme and Abstracts
3rd ISS (2005, Netherlands): Programme and Abstracts
2nd ISS (2003, Spain): Programme and Abstracts

Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association — JEMCA, formerly European Mosquito Bulletin, provides a forum for information on European mosquitoes, dealing with aspects of their biology, ecology, identification, taxonomy, distribution, disease relation and control

Myia — the journal of the Dipterists Society

Neotropical Dipterology — a journal publishing catalogs, manuals, and papers on the taxonomy of various families of flies in the Neotropical region. These are available here for the first time online:
Flyer (1988)
Volume 1, Editorial (2008, September 1)
Volume 2, Simuliidae, Catalog (2008, September 1)
Volume 3, Simuliidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 4, Scatopsidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 5, Pelecorhynchidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 6, Tabanidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 7, Nemestrinidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 8, Nemestrinidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 9, Apioceridae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 10, Apioceridae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 11, Cuterebridae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 12, Cuterebridae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 13, Ropalomeridae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 14, Mydidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 15, Mydidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 16, Tabanidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 17, Asilidae, Catalog (2008)
Volume 17b, Asilidae, Catalog, revised version (2009, April 15)
Volume 18, Asilidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 19, Pantophthalmidae, Catalog (2009, April 15)
Volume 20, Pantophthalmidae, Manual (2009, April 15)
Volume 21, Rangomaramidae, Catalog (2012, May 31)
Volume 22, Lygistorrhinidae, Catalog (2012, September 13)
Volume 23, Helosciomyzidae, Catalog (2013, September 5)
Volume 24, Tabanidae, Keys to immature stages (2014, October 13)
Volume 25, Mycetophilidae, Catalog (2014, October 31)

Pacific Basin Diptera News — a short-lived newsletter to bring together dipterists working in the Australasian and Oceanian Regions by listing the latest publications, field collecting and other information of interest to dipterists. These are available here for the first time online:
Issue 1 (Summer 1989)
Issue 2 (Winter 1989)
Issue 3 (Summer 1990)
Issue 4 (Winter 1990)
Issue 5 (Spring 1991)

Phorid Newsletter — a specialized newsletter for phorid information, sporadically published from 1994 to 2008

Pollinator Information Network Newsletter — a newsletter for the “Diversity of Pollinating Diptera of the Afrotropical Region” project, which is funded by the Belgian Development Cooperation through the framework agreement with the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Recording Scheme Newsletters — numerous newsletters for family-level taxa for the Diptera Recording Schemes, part of the Dipterists Forum, including: Sciomyzidae, Agromyzidae, Anthomyiidae, Soldier flies and allies (Stratiomyidae and other lower and middle Brachycera), Fungus gnats (Mycetophilidae and relatives), Platypezidae, Micropezidae & Tanypezidae, Tephritidae, Calliphoridae, Scathopagidae, Empididae & Dolichopodidae, Tachinidae, Craneflies (Tipuloidea, Ptychopteridae, Trichoceridae), Conopidae, Dixidae & Thaumelidae, Sepsidae, Syrphidae, Pipunculidae, Oestridae

The Simuliid Bulletin — set up specifically to enable the world to access the Simuliid Bulletin and its predecessors The British Simuliid Group Bulletin and Newsletter archives

Sphaero News, The Diptera: Sphaeroceridae Newsletter — a short-lived newsletter intended as a means of communication for everyone interested in Sphaeroceridae, aiming to cover all aspects of their taxonomy and ecology. Only four issues were produced, which are available here for the first time online:
Number 1 (1986, November)
Number 2 (1987, June)
Number 3 (1988, April)
Number 4 (1989, March)

Studia Dipterologica — Journal of taxonomy, systematics, ecology and faunistics of Diptera

Studia Dipterologica Supplement — this series publishes dipterological monographs of more than 100 pages, for comprehensive revisions, identification keys, complex regional faunas, checklists, taxonomic catalogs, collection holdings, bibliographies, etc.

Syrphos — a short-lived newsletter for and about syrphid workers, to increase communication among people interested in syrphids. Only three issues were produced. These are available here for the first time online:
Volume 1, number 1 (Spring 1979, April)
Volume 2, number 1 (Spring 1980, May)
Volume 2, number 2 (Fall 1980, December)

Tachinid Times — the annual newsletter for persons interested in research on parasitic flies of the family Tachinidae

TAAO Newsletter — the newsletter of the Tephritid workers of Asia, Australia and Oceania, started in 2015

TEAM Newsletter — the newsletter of the Tephritid workers of Europe, Africa and the Middle East, started in 2005

Volucella — a journal covering all aspects concerning Syrphidae, especially taxonomy, systematics, morphology, ecology, ethology, biogeography, faunistics, and conservation (the website seems not to exist anymore, so the latest archived version of the page is given from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine)

Zookeys — a peer-reviewed international open-access journal launched to accelerate biodiversity research. A large team of editors have seen several hundred papers on Diptera through

Zootaxa — a peer-reviewed international journal for rapid publication of high quality papers on any aspect of systematic zoology, with a preference for large taxonomic works such as monographs and revisions. A large team of editors have seen many hundreds of papers on Diptera through

  • Literature reference collections

American Museum of Natural History Library Digital Repository — fully searchable resource for digitized AMNH Scientific Publications and publications in the their Research Libary

Bishop Museum Scholarly Publications — digitized journal articles from the following series: Pacific Insects, Pacific Insect Monographs; Insects of Micronesia; International Journal of Entomology; and Bishop Museum Bulletins, Memoirs, Occasional Papers, Special Publications and Technical Reports

Biodiversity Heritage Library — BHL is an excellent source for digitized older biodiversity literature, fully searchable

Biologia Centrali-Americana — the digital edition of this important and out-of-print work, with all 58 biological volumes available (including the three Diptera volumes)

Gallica — part of the Bibliotheque National de France, Gallica is an excellent source for digitized older works, with many older natural history books

Göttingener Digitalisierungszentrum — The GDZ, or Göttingen University digitizing project, has numerous natural history works in their Zoologica section

Hennig's Diptera works — translations to English

Natural History Publications Online — a resource from the Bishop Museum designed to provide the user with a one-stop shop to as many digitized journal series as possible

Various Syrphidae works — translations to English

  • Data aggregators

EOL — The Encyclopedia of Life aims to provide global access to knowledge about life on earth, by gathering, generating and sharing knowledge in an open, freely accessible and trusted digital resource. The Diptera dataset provides information about biology, distribution, names and media associated with flies

GBIF — The Global Biodiversity Information Facility, providing free and open access to biodiversity data, including the extensive and searchable Diptera datasets

iSpecies — a simple mashup of species information

ITIS — The Integrated Taxonomic Information System provides an authoritative taxonomic resource for plants, animals, fungi and microbes. The Diptera dataset is fully searchable, or can be browsed by clicking through the taxonomic hierarchy

  • Miscellaneous

Anatomical Atlas of Flies — a standalone resource from meant to accompany any fly key or as an aid for teaching fly anatomy. The atlas works in two ways: users can either click on a part to discover its name, or click on a name to discover the location and shape of a part. Common synonyms for anatomical terms are available from the information button that appears when terms and structures are highlighted

Dr. Art Borkent, Insect Taxonomist — the webpage for Art's research on biting midges, including publications, present projects, and general information

Biographies of Entomologists of the World — a searchable database of biographical information on entomologists, including many dipterists

Discover Life — free online resource to teach and study nature, report findings, build maps, process images and contribute to a growing encyclopedia of life, including a large section on Diptera

Fliegen & Mücken — The Diptera pages of NABU, Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany)

flyobsession — Brian Brown's blog, for those who live and breathe dipterology

Fly Guide — Field/Photo ID for Flies is a project maintained by Zachary and Even Dankowicz, providing a collection of resources created by a variety of authors, compiled for identifying Diptera from photographs and specimens.

Fly School — an intensive two week course for those interested in dipterology, focused on lecture and laboratory time devoted to identification of families of flies supplemented with time int he field and special session. Held every two years

History of Dipterology — a very interesting site (in Russian, but most web browsers can translate it) starting with very early history from Ancient Egypt through the 16th century, and then giving a century-by-century timeline starting in the 17th century with many obscure events

matthewvosper's Journal — an iNaturalist member's collection of identification guides and presentations on insects, including many fly groups

Natalie Port - artist — the webpage for the German artist whose works include the series "The Fly. Entomologische Sammlung Diptera ab 1872"

Tree of Life — the Diptera pages of the Tree of Life project

World Diptera Systematists Home Page — compiled by Neal Evenhuis, this is a list of Diptera systematists (i.e., people who have authored new taxa of flies), living and dead, with further information and images

Taxon Specific Resources:

  • Superfamily Asiloidea

Asiloid Flies — a comprehensive resource from Torsten Dikow covering the asiloids in the families Apioceridae (“flower-loving flies”), Asilidae (“assassin flies” or “robber flies”) and Mydidae (“mydas flies”)

Keys to Asiloid flies — a series of Lucid keys to Apioceridae, Asilidae and Mydidae taxa, which have either been adapted from previously published keys and converted for web-based disseminations or are more recent and developed specifically for the web

  • Superfamily Diopsoidea

European Micropezids & Tanypezids — despite the name of the website, this is a general resource for the European members of the diopsoid families Diopsidae, Megamerinidae, Psilidae, Strongylophthalmyiidae and Tanypezidae (this website also covers the nerioid families)

  • Superfamily Empidoidea

Empidoidea — a resource from the CNC about empidoid flies (families Atelestidae, Brachystomatidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae, Hybotidae), including species checklists and information on natural history, phylogeny and classification

  • Superfamily Nerioidea

European Micropezids & Tanypezids — despite the name of the website, this is a general resource for the European members of the nerioid families Micropezidae and Pseudopomyzidae (this website also covers the diopsoid families)

  • Superfamily Sciaroidea

Fungus Gnats Online — documents the taxonomy, biology, and evolutionary history of fungus gnats, and acts an expert network providing a trusted source of information for these flies, also providing a central location for discussions, questions and collaborative projects

  • Superfamily Syrphoidea

Syrphidae and Pipunculidae — Christian Kehlmaier's page on pipunculids and syrphids

  • Superfamily Tipuloidea

Catalogue of the Craneflies of the World — this world catalog by Pjotr Oosterbroek covers all 17,889 genus- and species-group taxa of the tipuloid families Pediciidae, Limoniidae, Cylindrotomidae and Tipulidae

  • Family Agromyzidae

Polyphagous Agromyzid Leafminers — an information resource about agromyzid leafminers potentially threatening agriculture in Australia, including a key to species and fact sheets for each

  • Family Asilidae

Asilidae in Japan — a collection of photographs (including some types) and bibliographic information on Japanese asilids

Robber Flies of the World — a general resource for information about asilids

Robber Flies (Asilidae) — a general resource for information about asilids by Fritz Geller-Grimm

Keys to Asiloid flies — a series of Lucid keys to asiloid taxa taxa, including the following Asilidae: world subfamilies, Afrotropical genera, world genera of Leptogastrinae, species of Anasillomos, Euscelidia, Lasiocnemus, Schildia

Robber Flies of South Korea — a general resource for information about asilids in South Korea

The Laphriini Pages — a general resource from Steve Bullington with information about the tribe Laphriini

  • Family Calliphoridae

Bird Blow Fly — a website about blow flies in the genus Protocalliphora and relatives, which are obligate bloodsucking ectoparasites of nestling birds, including information on their life cycle, photographs, collecting and literature

Blow Flies — a website about New World blow flies, including identification, collecting, photographs and literature

  • Family Ceratopogonidae

Ceratopogonid Web Page — this is the place for information about ceratopogonids, including access to the Ceratopogonidae Information Exchange newsletter and a directory of ceratopogonid workers, among other things

Dr. Art Borkent, Insect Taxonomist — the webpage for Art's research on biting midges, including publications, present projects, and general information

Forcipomyia (biting midges) — this is the Forcipomyiinae page on the website A Chaos of Delight, Exploring Life in the Soil.

  • Family Chironomidae

Chironomidae Exchange Forum — a discussion forum about chironomid midges

Chironomidae of Florida — John Epler's website with information on the taxonomy and distribution of chironomids (and water beetles and other insects) in Florida and elsewhere

Chironomidae Home Page — a place for finding researchers, news and other resources regarding chironomids

Chironomidae Research Group — a place for general information on midges and the people who study them

Russian Chironomid Home Page — presents information about studies and research on chironomids (at last check, this website was down, so the version archived in July 2020 from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. If the site comes back up, it will be linked)

  • Family Clusiidae

Key to world clusiid genera — this publication in the Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification provides keys to world genera, Nearctic genera, and North American species

  • Family Culicidae

Identification keys to medically important arthropod species — a set of keys by zoogeographic region, heavy in biting flies in the families Culicidae and Psychodidae

Interactive Multiplex Keys to Adult Female Mosquito Species of China (Diptera, Culicidae) — a Lucid key by Tian-Ci Yang and Xiao-Bin Zhang to help identify the medically-important species of China, which comprises 33 species, using 76 morphological characters and more than 410 images

Overwintering mosquitoes of Northern Europe — a guide to the mosquitoes that overwinter as adult females in Sweden, by Anders Lindström & Disa Eklöf

Reverse identification key for mosquito species — this resource from the European Cetre for Disease Prevention is a key providing non-specialists with reference material to help recognize invasive mosquito species and gives details on the morphology to help with verification

Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU) — this page is an excellent resource for information about mosquitoes, including keys, species and genus profiles, information on vector status, and more

  • Family Dolichopodidae

All About Dolichopodidae — Igor Grichnanov's dolichopodid homepage with links to catalogs and checklists, keys, photographs, a bibliography, and more

  • Family Drosophilidae

Japan Drosophila Database — a resource for PDF's of drosophilid literature, as well as genetic, chromosome and proteome information

Taxodros — a database covering taxonomic data on Drosophilidae, including classification, descriptions, biodiversity and references

Nicholas Gompel's lab - Drosophilidae plates — a page with top-view photographs of various species of Drosophilidae. A linked page displays various mutants and other Drosophila images.

  • Family Lonchaeidae

Lonchaeidae Online — a general resource lonchaeids of the world, including information on individual species, ecological information, literature, keys and a range of photographs and illustrations

  • Family Milichiidae

Milichiidae online — a general resource for information about freeloader flies, including literature and species pages with information and photos

  • Family Muscidae

Filth Flies — a resource from the CNC about flies associated with livestock

  • Family Mycetophilidae

Mycetophilidae — this is the mycetophilid page on the website A Chaos of Delight, Exploring Life in the Soil.

  • Family Mydidae

Keys to Asiloid flies — a series of Lucid keys to asiloid taxa taxa, including the following Mydidae: world subfamilies, Afrotropical genera, Palearctic genera, world species of Ectyphinae, species of Israel and surrounding regions, species of Namadytes, Namibimydas, Plyomydas

  • Family Phoridae

phorid.net — a general resource about the family Phoridae of the world, including a world catalog and lots of other information and photographs

  • Family Pipunculidae

European Pipunculidae — a general resource about European pipunculids

  • Family Psychodidae

Identification keys to medically important arthropod species — a set of keys by zoogeographic region, heavy in biting flies in the families Culicidae and Psychodidae

  • Family Sarcophagidae

Australian Sarcophaga (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) — A LUCID key for the online identification of the Australian Sarcophaga (sensu lato), by K.A. Meikljohn, C.R.J. Kavazos, M. Donwton, T. Pape & J.F. Wallman

British Flesh Flies on Flickr — a large and ever-growing collection of British flesh flies by photographer Steven Falk

Family: SARCOPHAGIDAE. A taxonomic database to all flesh flies — a page by Thomas Pape to provide information on the taxonomy, distribution and natural history for all flesh flies with a valid scientific name, and in particular to provide pictorial information in a consistent format that will facilitate species-level identification

Flesh Flies (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) — a portal page for flesh flies of the world

Sarcophagidae Recording Scheme — a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in studying flesh flies of the United Kingdom. The site has the very latest news & information from the recording scheme plus the most up to date species list and key updates

The South African Sarcophaginae — a Lucid key by Crystal-Leigh Clitheroe covering all described species of Sarcophaginae of South Africa

  • Family Sepsidae

Sepsidnet — a digital reference collection for the Sepsidae of the world, currently covering about half the species and much of the generic diversity

  • Family Simuliidae

British Simuliid Group — a hub of information about blackflies and blackfly enthusiasts

  • Family Syrphidae

Nearctic Checklist — list of 828 Nearctic syrphid species from the literature and from specimens in numerous collections, along with common names for each species

Syrphidae Europenses — a general resource for syrphids of Europe

Hoverfly World — a resource for photographs and information about Japanese syrphids

The World of Syrphidae — a general resource for syrphids, including access to a hoverfly discussion list

Syrphidae Community Website — a general resource for information about syrphids, such as classification, images and literature resources

  • Family Tachinidae

Tachinidae Resources — a comprehensive resource built and maintained by Jim O'Hara at the CNC bringing together information of all kinds about world tachinids, and is the home of the newsletter, Tachinid Times

Mosch Interactive Key — an interactive key to the genera of Palearctic Tachinidae

John Stireman's Lab — a blog-format webpage for the active tachinid research lab of John Stireman at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA

Tachinid Recording Scheme — a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in studying tachinid flies of the United Kingdom. The site has the very latest news & information from the recording scheme plus the most up to date species list and key updates

New Zealand Tachinidae — a directory for diagnostic information and updates of scientific publications relating to Tachinidae for New Zealand

  • Family Tephritidae

Anastrepha and Toxotrypana — a resource for information and images about many species in these genera, as well as an extensive illustrated review of the morphological terminology

Dacine Fruit Flies of Asia-Pacific — a collection of more than 1200 photographs developed by Luc Leblanc

Invasive Fruit Fly Pests in Africa — a diagnostic tool and information reference for the four Asian species of fruit flies that have become accidentally established as pests in Africa

True Fruit Flies of the Afrotropical Region — a general resource to make all relevant information of the major dacine fruit fly genera of Africa accessible to a wider public