Welcome to the Apioceridae & Mydidae web-site

Flies of the family taxa Apioceridae (“flower-loving flies”) & Mydidae (“mydas flies”) are an interesting group among the diverse Diptera - true flies. Despite their generally large size as adults both taxa remain poorly known biologically and taxonomically. The flies range from 9–60 mm in body length and the Neotropical species Gauromydas heros (Perty, 1833; Mydidae: Mydinae) is believed to be the largest known Diptera.

Apioceridae only occur in Argentina, Australia, Chile, western North America (Canada, Mexico, & the USA), and South Africa whereas Mydidae are more or less distributed worldwide although a number of subfamily taxa are restricted to the Southern Hemisphere. Flower-loving flies and mydas flies prefer arid to semi-arid environments although some Mydidae species are known from tropical rain forests. Both taxa are seldom collected and are rare in insect collections due to the very short annual activity period and the very limited geographical range of species.

Representatives of both taxa have been flying since the diversification of angiosperms: Mydidae are known from the Santana Formation of Brazil (approximately 112 Million years ago) and putative Apioceridae are known from Baissa, Russia (approximately 132 Million years ago) and Bon-Tsagaan, Mongolia (approximately 121 Million years ago). The extinct Protapioceridae from the Upper Yixian Formation of China (approximately 145–150 Million years ago) are probably closely related to Apioceridae and Mydidae.