This week these became avid predators.
The photo above is a stack of two frames (body) with Canon MP-E 65mm @ about 2x and f/9 and one third photo (eyes) at f/7.1
This one is single frame Canon MP-E @ 2x and f/11
There is a video, another one, trying to get rid of a parasite while eating another fly.
The video is with Sony H5 camera and Raynox DCR-250 in front of the lens (very practical and a pleasure to use for video, but do not make full HD images)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCkeLPgqcBI
Robber Fly (Cerotainia sp) and prey
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Robber Fly (Cerotainia sp) and prey
Last edited by gmazza on Mon Nov 08, 2010 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- PaulFurman
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- Craig Gerard
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- Location: Australia
- Craig Gerard
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Paul,
Those robber flies sound rather clever in a spooky way. Do these flies hunt individually or have they been known to work as a pack, as is believed to have been the case with Raptors (Velociraptor)?
Craig
Those robber flies sound rather clever in a spooky way. Do these flies hunt individually or have they been known to work as a pack, as is believed to have been the case with Raptors (Velociraptor)?
Craig
Last edited by Craig Gerard on Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"
- PaulFurman
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Oops, sorry, it was Assasin Bugs, not Robber Flies: http://news.discovery.com/animals/assas ... iders.html
Thanks Tim and John for the support
Hi Craig
2-2 weeks before these photos I did these portraits at this topic
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=11292
At that time not observed them with preys, I'm not sure if they hunt just after metamorphosis or develop a little before start the captures.
Tried to observe group behaviour about hunt, but not sucessfully observed any pattern of hunting (don't know if there is a better method for this than simple stay in nature), this week they started to flight in pair and I could guess it's a matting related behaviour and my ambition is to register it. The behaviour looks very different from the mating ritual I observe in the Holcocephala.
Hi Craig
I observe these every day, they live about 100m distant from my home (I live in a rural home in the borders of city), in a open field (opposite to the Holcocephala wich are always at the borders of open field and jungle), I'm not enthomologist so when I share observing info at the same time I'm asking if this info is feasible.Craig Gerard wrote: Those robber flies sound rather clever in a spooky way. Do these flies hunt individually or have they been known to work as a pack, as is believed to have been the case with Raptors (Velociraptor)?
2-2 weeks before these photos I did these portraits at this topic
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=11292
At that time not observed them with preys, I'm not sure if they hunt just after metamorphosis or develop a little before start the captures.
Tried to observe group behaviour about hunt, but not sucessfully observed any pattern of hunting (don't know if there is a better method for this than simple stay in nature), this week they started to flight in pair and I could guess it's a matting related behaviour and my ambition is to register it. The behaviour looks very different from the mating ritual I observe in the Holcocephala.