Contains data sheets for rarer species of craneflies, marger Brachycera, hoverflies, Conopidae, Sciomyzidae and Tephritidae.

Hoverflies of the subfamily Microdontinae have a reputation for causing confusion. The adult flies differ so much from other hoverflies that according to some they should be placed in a family of their own. Their diversity in shape and size is astonishing: from large, furry-haired species and convincing wasp-mimics to tiny, unsightly creatures, easily mistaken for something uninteresting. This paper introduces a new generic classification of the Microdontinae. A key to all 43 genera, 7 subgenera and some species groups is presented. All 552 available species names are classified into (sub)genera and species groups. The resulting classification comprises 454 valid species and 98 synonyms, of which 17 valid names and three synonyms are left unplaced. A total number of 26 new species are described, 267 new combinations of species and genera are proposed. The paper concludes with a discussion on diagnostic characters of Microdontinae.

This is the first comprehensive synopsis of the biodiversity of Diptera, with chapters on all regional faunas, Diptera as ecological indicators, statistical techniques for estimating species diversity based on the known fauna, molecular tools and trends in digital publication.