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Dictionary:

dipteran

  (dĭp'tər-ən) pronunciation also dipteron (-tə-rŏn')
n.

A dipterous insect.

adj.

Of or belonging to the order Diptera; dipterous.


 
 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: dipteran

Any member of the more than 85,000 species in the insect order Diptera (the two-winged, or "true," flies), characterized by the use of only one pair of wings for flight and the reduction of the second pair of wings to knobs used for balance. Dipterans live in all habitats worldwide, including the subarctic and high mountains. They range in size from about 0.05 in. (1 mm) long (midges) to 3 in. (8 cm) long (robber flies). Dipteran larvae break down and redistribute organic materials, and both adults and larvae are a significant link in numerous food chains. Many species are annoying bloodsuckers, and several (e.g., housefly, mosquito, sand fly, tsetse fly) are vectors of disease. Other species cause great damage to agricultural crops. See also blowfly, crane fly, fruit fly, gnat, horsefly, leaf miner.

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Medical Dictionary: dip·ter·an
(dĭp'tər-ən) or dip·ter·on (-tə-rŏn')
n.

A dipterous insect.

dip'ter·an adj.
 
WordNet: dipteran
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: insects having usually a single pair of functional wings (anterior pair) with the posterior pair reduced to small knobbed structures and mouth parts adapted for sucking or lapping or piercing
  Synonyms: dipterous insect, two-winged insects, dipteron

 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more

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