The hind wings are reduced to knobbed balancing organs called halteres. All flies undergo complete metamorphosis , i.e., a four-stage development.
Many flies are harmful either as carriers of disease or as destroyers of crops.
Some parasitize harmful insects. Some, such as the fruit fly, are important in laboratory studies. Flies are classified in the phylum Arthropoda , class Insecta, order Diptera. Listing from Electric Library , a pay service. Copyright 2001 Infonautics Corporation .