Los empídidos (Empididae) son una familia de dípteros braquíceros que cuenta con más de 3.000 especies descritas y posiblemente otras 4.000 más aun sin describir. Son de distribución mundial, pero la mayoría son de la región Holártica. Hay mucha variación pero en general son de tamaño mediano a chico, de 1 a 15 mm. Son más bien oscuros de colores no metálicos y bastante peludos. Suelen ser delgados, de largas patas, de cuello definido y con una joroba en el tórax. Algunos tienen una larga probóscide. Los machos suelen tener ojos más grandes que las hembras y éstas tienen un abdomen más grueso. ------------ Empididae is a family of flies with over 3,000 described species occurring worldwide, but the majority are found in the Holarctic. They are mainly predatory flies like most of their relatives in the Empidoidea, and exhibit a wide range of forms but are generally small to medium sized, non-metallic and rather bristly. Common names for members of this family are dagger flies (referring to the sharp piercing mouthparts of some species) and balloon flies. The term "dance flies" is sometimes used for this family too, but the dance flies proper, formerly included herein, are now considered a separate family Hybotidae. Some Empididae, such as the European species Hilara maura, have an elaborate courtship ritual in which the male wraps a prey item in silk and presents it to the female to stimulate copulation. Empidid larvae are also largely predatory (although some are scavengers) and occupy a wide range of habitats, both aquatic and terrestrial.