Brachycera

views updated

Brachycera (class Insecta, order Diptera) Suborder of flies whose members are recognizable from their wing venation and porrect palps. With one exception (Stratiomyidae) all Brachycera larvae have the head retractile within the thorax. The antennae usually have fewer than six segments, with exceptions where segments have fused as a secondary feature. There are 16 families.