
- Photo by Anthony Westkamper
- Crane fly on my front porch shows halteres.
A reader recently suggested I write about a particular anatomical feature of the order diptera, which contains about 60,000 known species including flies, mosquitoes, crane flies, midges and gnats. Unlike most other flying insects with four wings, members of this group have only two. Evolution has reduced their rear wings to tiny club-shaped structures called halteres, or halters, that vibrate in synchrony with the wings and act as tiny gyros, providing information about roll, pitch and yaw to facilitate stable flight.
Another feature that sets this group apart is an expanded mesothorax (the central section of the thorax that is the central body part of the insect), often giving them a humpbacked appearance and room to house massive flight muscles.

- Photo by Anthony Westkamper
- Hover flies may be the ultimate in aerial agility.

- Photo by Anthony Westkamper
- A fly providing pollination services for a willow.

- Photo by Anthony Westkamper
- A giant robber fly dines on a yellowjacket taken on the wing.

- Photo by Anthony Westkamper
- A horse fly.
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