| Nerioidea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Telostylinus lineolatus from India | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Section: | Schizophora |
| Subsection: | Acalyptratae |
| Superfamily: | Nerioidea |
| Families | |
Cypselosomatidae | |
Nerioidea is asuperfamily ofAcalyptratae flies.[1]
As flies, Nerioidea undergo completemetamorphosis with the four life stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult. The adult stage has three body segments (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of legs and one pair of wings.[2]
Some features that distinguish adult Nerioidea from other flies are: a face that's usually weakly sclerotised (except inFergusoninidae), antenna usually porrect or slightly deflexed (elbowed inTanypezidae), wing veins R2+3 and R4+5 usually convergent, and the wing anal cell usually much smaller than the subcostal cell.[3]
Most Nerioidea are associated with dead and decaying organic matter such as dead wood, rotting fruit and bat dung. On the other hand, Fergusoninidae formgalls in plants of familyMyrtaceae, and someMicropezidae have larvae that are predatory or agricultural pests.[3]