Asiloidea
| Asiloidea | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Robber fly (Asilidae) with beetle prey | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Brachycera |
| Infraorder: | Asilomorpha |
| Superfamily: | Asiloidea |
| Families | |
|
10 |
|
10
The Asiloidea comprise a very large superfamily insects in the order Diptera, the true flies. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring worldwide, with many species living in dry, sandy habitat types. It includes the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies, which are parasitoids, and the Asilidae, the robber flies, which are predators of other insects. Members of the other families are mainly flower visitors as adults and predators as larvae.
It is not entirely clear that this superfamily is monophyletic, that all of its families share a common ancestor. It is closely related to the Empidoidea and the Cyclorrhapha.
The Protapioceridae, a family of extinct flies that were native to China, are also classified in the Asiloidea.
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Wikipedia