General characteristics of Conopidae:

                       - medium-sized, blackish or brownish flies, many of which mimic thread-waisted wasps.
                       - head slightly broader than thorax; head often with prominent grooves on face (beneath the antennae).
                       - antennae usually long, about the same length as head or longer; projecting forward, 3-segmented.
                       - some species lack ocelli.
                       - proboscis long and slender, elbowed and projecting upward in some species.
                       - wing venation similar to that in the Syrphidae, but with spurious vein absent (except in Physoconops).
                       - both male and female conopids have eyes widely separated at the top of the head (dichoptic).