▁with ▁exception ally ▁long ▁prob os cis es , ▁sometimes ▁longer ▁than ▁the ▁entire ▁bod ily ▁length ▁of ▁the ▁insect . ▁F lower ▁feed ing ▁N emat oc era ▁include ▁Bib ion idae ▁and ▁some ▁species ▁in ▁T ip ul idae ▁and ▁other ▁families . ▁ ▁Pred ators ▁Ad ult ▁As il idae , ▁Emp id idae ▁and ▁Sc ath oph ag idae ▁feed ▁on ▁other ▁insect s , ▁including ▁smaller ▁D ip tera , ▁Dol ich op od idae ▁and ▁some ▁E ph yd r idae ▁feed ▁on ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁animal ▁pre y . ▁ ▁Both ▁male ▁and ▁female ▁mos qu ito es ▁feed ▁on ▁ne ct ar ▁and ▁plant ▁ju ices , ▁but ▁in ▁many ▁species ▁the ▁mouth parts ▁of ▁the ▁females ▁are ▁adapted ▁for ▁pier cing ▁the ▁skin ▁of ▁animal ▁hosts ▁and ▁feed ▁on ▁blood ▁as ▁e ct op ar as ites . ▁The ▁most ▁important ▁function ▁of ▁blood ▁me als ▁is ▁to ▁obtain ▁prote ins ▁as ▁materials ▁for ▁egg ▁production . ▁For ▁females ▁to ▁risk ▁their ▁lives ▁on ▁blood ▁su ck ing ▁while ▁males ▁ab st ain , ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁strategy ▁limited ▁to ▁the ▁mos qu ito es ; ▁it ▁also ▁occurs ▁in ▁some ▁other ▁insect ▁families , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁T aban idae . ▁Most ▁female ▁horse ▁f lies ▁feed ▁on ▁m amm al ▁blood , ▁but ▁some ▁species ▁are ▁known ▁to ▁feed ▁on ▁birds , ▁am ph ib ians ▁or ▁re pt iles . ▁ ▁Other ▁blood feed ing ▁D ip tera ▁are ▁Cer at