Family: Dolichopodidae (long-legged flies)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Ecdysozoa > Panarthropoda > Tritocerebra > Phylum: Arthopoda > Mandibulata > Atelocerata > Panhexapoda > Hexapoda > Insecta (insects) > Dicondyla > Pterygota > Metapterygota > Neoptera > Eumetabola > Holometabola > Panorpida > Antliophora > Diptera (flies) > Brachycera > Muscomorpha > Eremoneura > Empidoidea

Long-legged fly photographed on rock next to stream at Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. [photo Hamish Robertson]

Dolichopodids are predatory flies, usually associated with moist habitats such as next to rivers and lakes. The larvae are also usually predatory and are found in moist substrates such as moist sand and rotting organic matter. A total of 133 species of long-legged flies have been recorded from South Africa (SA Animal Checklist).