Suborder
Brachycera (Brachyceran flies)
Syrphus ribesii. Photo: (c) Walwyn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
The Brachycera are a suborder of the order Diptera. It is a major suborder consisting of around 120 families. The most widely known member of this suborder is the housefly. Their most distinguishing characteristic is reduced antenna segmentation. A summary of the main physiological characteristics is: