The
Piophilidae are a
family of "true flies", in the
order Diptera. The so-called
cheese flies are the best-known members, but most species of the Piophilidae are scavengers in animal products,
carrion, and fungi. They may accordingly be important in
forensic entomology and
medical entomology. For a fly maggot, the larvae of many species have an unusually well-developed ability to leap when alarmed or when abandoning their larval food to pupate; they accordingly may be known as
cheese skippers or other kinds of skippers according to their food source.