Flies in the genus Microdon are a type of hoverfly. "Microdon" and its subfamily are different from most other flies because they are myrmecophiles. This means they live in ant colonies (nests). There are more than 350 species of "Microdon" in the world. Some of these will be split off in time because "Microdon" has been used as a catch-all for various unrelated species. Most "Microdon" live in the tropics; 30 species live in North America.