Acroceridae
| Small-headed flies Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Pterodontia sp. fly | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Superorder: | Panorpida |
| Clade: | Antliophora |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Suborder: | Brachycera |
| Superfamily: | Nemestrinoidea |
| Family: | Acroceridae Leach, 1815 |
| Subfamilies | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Acroceridae are a small family of odd-looking flies. They have a hump-backed appearance with a strikingly small head, generally with a long proboscis for accessing nectar. They are rare and not widely known. The most frequently applied common names are small-headed flies or hunch-back flies. Many are bee or wasp mimics. Because they are parasitoids of spiders, they also are sometimes known as spider flies.