Distribution and Habitat
There are several hundred species in the Diopsidae, with the greatest diversity found in the Old World tropics. They are distributed throughout the region, with the best known species being from South-East Asia and Southern Africa. There are also two species in North America and a European species has recently been found in Hungary.
Adult diopsids are typically found on low-lying vegetation in humid areas, often near streams and rivers, where they feed on fungi and bacteria that they scavenge from decaying vegetation. The larvae are saprophagic or phytophagous, eating decaying and fresh plant matter.
The peculiar morphology of stalk-eyed flies makes it easy to identify their fossils (e.g. in amber); one prehistoric genus that has been discovered in that form is Prosphyracephala.
Read more about this topic: Stalk-eyed Fly
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