Dance flies

Code QD359999

Empididae are familiar as adults which are swarming predators over the surface of many water bodies. The larvae turn up much less frequently, though it is reported that the majority of the hundreds of world-wide species in the subfamilies Hemerodrominae and Clinocerinae are aquatic.

Both these subfamilies are apneustic (lacking spiracles), differing from the otherwise similar Athericidae in this, as well as the lack of abdominal tubercles. Clinocerinae have parapods on all 8 abdominal segments, but these are paired on 8 (unlike Athericidae). Hemerodrominae have 7 pairs of parapods and variable development of the abdominal terminal segment.

The larvae of Empids can be distinguished from otherwise very similar Dolichopodidae by the metacephalic rods, which are elongate but not spatulate posteriorly.

Rather little is known of the biology of the immature stages, but they include predators of other aquatic invertebrates.