Streblidae

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Streblidae (order Diptera, suborder Cyclorrapha) Small family of flies in which the adults are exclusively parasitic on bats. The head is fixed to the thorax and the eyes, if present, are small. The antennae are two-segmented and set in pits. The palps are leaf-like, project forward, but are not sheathed. The flies may have wings, which are shed frequently. Females deposit fully developed larvae which pupate almost immediately. In Ascodipteron species the female undergoes a dramatic transformation from winged insect to a bag-like sac once she is attached behind the ear of a bat of the genus Miniopterus. She sheds her wings and legs to achieve this transformation. The family is found mainly in the tropics and warm regions; 250 species have been described.