Troutnut.com Fly Fishing for Trout Home
User Password
or register.

Insect Order Diptera (True Flies)

Taxonomic Navigation -?-
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
» Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
» Class Insecta (Insects)
» Order Diptera (True Flies)
Family in DipteraNumber of SpecimensNumber of Pictures
AthericidaeWatersnipe Flies25
BlephariceridaeNet-Veined Midges00
Chaoboridae01
ChironomidaeMidges1668
LimoniidaeLimoniid Crane Flies415
PediciidaePediciid Crane Flies19
PtychopteridaePhantom Crane Flies13
SimuliidaeBlack Flies420
TipulidaeCrane Flies837

24 families aren't included.
Common Name
MatchCommon Name
****True Flies
Pictures Below
This incredibly diverse order holds tens of thousands of species. They are the "true flies" with two wings, and they have complete life cycles (larva to pupa to adult). Beyond that they have little in common.

The most important family is Chironomidae, the midges. The craneflies of Tipulidae and the related families may also be important, as may be several of the others in the right place and time.

36 True Fly Specimens:

Specimen Page:12345
Stictochironomus Midge AdultStictochironomus  Midge AdultView 11 PicturesThis midge and several like it, including a female I also photographed, hatched from larvae which were living in some fine mud I'm using as substrate in my bug-rearing aquarium.
Region: Northeast
Collected Apr 10, 2007
Added Apr 10, 2007
Chironomidae (Midges) Midge AdultChironomidae (Midges) True Fly AdultView 7 PicturesOne of the only real benefits I've got from my rearing aquarium so far is that I've had quite a variety of midges emerge, giving me a chance to photograph these fragile little insects which are otherwise really hard to transport in photogenic form. This one recovered from being gassed and flew away before I could photograph it on the ruler, but it was very small, around 1.5mm.
Region: Northeast
Collected Apr 23, 2007
Added Apr 25, 2007
Pedicia albivitta (Giant Eastern Crane Fly) True Fly LarvaPedicia albivitta (Giant Eastern Crane Fly) True Fly LarvaView 9 Pictures
Region: Northeast
Collected Mar 29, 2005
Added Apr 6, 2006
Specimen Page:12345

4 Streamside Pictures of True Flies:

Streamside Photo Page:12
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.7X larger)
AddEmail
A lone fly rests upon a rock in the middle of a little brook trout stream that's catching the late afternoon sun.
A lone fly rests upon a rock in the middle of a little brook trout stream that's catching the late afternoon sun.

In this picture: Insect Order Diptera (True Flies).
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenJul 22, 2005
Date AddedFeb 8, 2006
View Full SizeView Full Size (1.7X larger)
AddEmail
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenMay 7, 2005
Date AddedMar 26, 2006
View Full SizeView Full Size (3.5X larger)
AddEmail
A dense cloud of extremely tiny flies hovers close over the river.
A dense cloud of extremely tiny flies hovers close over the river.

In this picture: Insect Order Diptera (True Flies).
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenMay 29, 2005
Date AddedDec 31, 1969
Streamside Photo Page:12

8 Underwater Pictures of True Flies:

Underwater Photo Page:12
View Full SizeView Full Size (3.1X larger)
AddEmail
This is my favorite underwater picture so far. It shows a bunch of Simuliidae (black fly) larvae clinging to a rock and swinging in the fast current. There are also at least four visible mayfly nymphs, probably in the family Baetidae.
This is my favorite underwater picture so far. It shows a bunch of Simuliidae (black fly) larvae clinging to a rock and swinging in the fast current. There are also at least four visible mayfly nymphs, probably in the family Baetidae.

In this picture: Mayfly Family Baetidae (Blue-Winged Olives) and True Fly Family Simuliidae (Black Flies).
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenMar 19, 2004
Date AddedJan 25, 2006
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.4X larger)
AddEmail
Some large Ephemerella mayfly nymphs cling to a log.  In the background, hundreds of Simuliidae black fly larvae swing in large clusters in the current.
Some large Ephemerella mayfly nymphs cling to a log. In the background, hundreds of Simuliidae black fly larvae swing in large clusters in the current.

In this picture: Mayfly Species Ephemerella subvaria (Hendrickson), Mayfly Species Ephemerella invaria (Sulphur), and True Fly Family Simuliidae (Black Flies).
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenMar 20, 2004
Date AddedJan 25, 2006
View Full SizeView Full Size (2.5X larger)
AddEmail
The white blotches on this rock are Leucotrichia caddisfly cases, and the wispy tubes are cases made by a type of midge.
The white blotches on this rock are Leucotrichia caddisfly cases, and the wispy tubes are cases made by a type of midge.

In this picture: Caddisfly Species Leucotrichia pictipes (Ring Horn Microcaddis), Mayfly Species Ephemerella invaria (Sulphur), and True Fly Family Chironomidae (Midges).
RegionUpper Midwest
Date TakenMar 24, 2004
Date AddedJan 25, 2006
Underwater Photo Page:12

Recent Discussions of Diptera

getting midges down 8 Replies »
Posted by CaseyP on Dec 8, 2007 in the family Chironomidae
Last reply on Aug 1, 2009 by Wbranch
says here midge pupae rise in the water and struggle in the film to become adults. my imitations are so small that they don't seem to go down very far in order to rise--ike a wet fly might at the end of the swing. any ideas? or am i fishing them wrong?
ReplyClusters of midges and the Griffith's Gnat 13 Replies »
Posted by Troutnut on Apr 11, 2007 in the family Chironomidae
Last reply on Mar 19, 2009 by DOS
This is a spin-off from a tangent in another topic which seems worthy of its own thread.

I wrote about the midge I photographed:
I'm not sure how a griffith's gnat is supposed to imitate such a thing

Gonzo replied:
Schwiebert's theory was that when it was awash in the film, the herl and halo of hackle suggested the loosening pupal shuck around the dark body of the emerging midge. Others have speculated that it imitates a cluster of midges. Both theories are reasonable, I suppose, depending on the size of the Griffith's Gnat that is effective relative to the size of the actual midge. Like many anglers, I just know that it does work. :)

Those are the explanations I've heard, too, but I'm skeptical of both. I'm not doubting the effectiveness of the Griffith's Gnat; I just think people have traditionally stretched the bounds of credibility when trying to explain a fly's success in imitative terms, and this is one of the more prominent examples.

Has anybody here seen a cluster of midges on the water? I haven't. I have seen midges thickly grouped on rocks next to the water, and I don't doubt that they occasionally fall off of there, and probably sometimes two are three are clinging to each other. I've also seen early-season stoneflies balled up with each other in an opaque little (presumably mating-related) clump on a midstream boulder, and I wouldn't be surprised if some midge species do something like that too. But trout don't see balls of midges floating around very often on any stream I've ever observed. Has anyone experienced that?

In either case, I can't see something so opaque as a Griffith's Gnat effectively imitating what would surely be a loose ball of gangly entangled midges. You would have to roll them around in your fingers for a while to goo them together so solidly.

I just can't see the herl and hackle imitating, or even suggesting, a loosening pupal shuck. Shucks don't get that loose. They trail behind length-wise; they don't balloon to the sides. And they aren't pointy. Of course I'm sure Schwiebert knows all that and was just trying to add an idea to the mix of explanations, but I do find that one as far-fetched as the others.

Here's another far-fetched guess: maybe the hackle and refractive trickery in the surface film reduce the perceived thickness of the fly and it passes for a single midge pretty well. This could be tested in an aquarium but it's late and I'm feeling lazy.

I think it's more likely that when trout take a Griffith's Gnat they're only looking for (at most) the right general size and color. It's not as fun, but sometimes things are really that simple.
Replyi need your help.. 1 Reply »
Posted by Aznaini on Nov 18, 2008 in the family Chironomidae
Last reply on Nov 18, 2008 by Taxon
hello friends..nice to meet you in this site...i'll further my study just around a corner..i need your help in sharing some information about Chironomus kiiensis.only a few information i can get about this species. i'll use this species in my future project..glad to here something from all of you..thank you.
ReplyI am student of entomology plz,help me 1 Reply »
Posted by SOHAIL on Jun 19, 2008
Last reply on Jun 19, 2008 by Taxon
plz help me i intrested in my subject so i request u all the order of physiology charector so plz guide line and i resarch in my entomological subject so i requested sir plz help me.
Replytiny flies in my tank filter are reproducing like mad 18 Replies »
Posted by Wendy on Jun 28, 2007 in the family Simuliidae
Last reply on Dec 24, 2007 by Wendy
I've been looking around the web to find out what they are and I saw a site that said they were drain flies? It makes sense to call them that but what are their true name? It can't be drain flies can it? Anyway they are taking over my tank. They start out like 1cm long white inch worms that have a black tip on the face and tail, they then form a brownish-black shell, like a cocoon and then they turn into tiny flies the size of a gnat or fruit fly and they don't die under water they are water proof. I hate to say it if you guys are bug lovers but they have to move out, possibly to the swampy stream out back. Does anyone know their name and if they are harmful to goldfish at an epidemic rate? They breed like crazy and I can't keep up.
Reply
There are 5 more topics.

Your Thoughts On Diptera:

You must log in at the top of the page to post. If you haven't registered yet, it's this easy:

Username:     Email:

Password:    Confirm Password:

I am at least 13 years old and agree to the rules.
Top 10 Hatches
Top 5 Products
Top 5 Specimens
Recent Updates
Last update July 19th, 2007.
Check out my friend & fishing partner Brad Bohen's Hayward Musky Guides website for fly fishing like you've never seen before! --Troutnut
Misc Websites