Hypoboscidae (lapsus) Hippoboscidae, the louse flies or keds, are obligate parasites of mammals and birds.

As usual in their superfamily Hippoboscoidea, most of the larval development takes place within the mother's body, and pupation occurs almost immediately.

For example, a louse fly of the species Icosta americana was found with West Nile Virus infection from an American Kestrel.

[3] In some obsolete taxonomies, the name Hippoboscidae is applied to the group properly known as Pupipara, i.e. the present family plus the bat flies (Nycteribiidae and "Streblidae").

According to cladistic analysis of several DNA sequences, to make the Ornithomyinae monophyletic, their tribe Olfersini deserves to be recognized as a full family, too.