"Flies" from various orders

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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MarkSturtevant
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Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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"Flies" from various orders

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Summer fishfly (Chauliodes pectinicorni), from the rather obscure insect order called Megaloptera. Some members of this order are huge, but this one is about the size of your little finger.
ImageSummer fishfly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Our small mantidfly (Dicromantispa sayi). I don't think I've posted this one here before. Mantidflies come from the order Neuroptera, and many of them grow up as a larva eating spider eggs inside the egg sac. This particular species favors the egg sacs of jumping spiders, and there are always some of those spiders on my shed which which is where I found this one. So, hmmm...
ImageMantidfly! by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Stonefly (maybe Acroneuria abnormis). Larvae live in water, and the winged adults often synchronize their emergence. This species comes close to forming swarms along a local river during a brief time, very early in the summer.
ImageStonefly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Sawfly larvae. These are vegetarian larvae of a kind of wasp, albeit with a strong resemblance to caterpillars. These were feeding on willow, and they might be Nematus sp. The posture is because they are alarmed by my attentions. While doing this, they possibly they emit a noxious smell, but I wasn't going to sniff them to find out.
ImageSawfly larvae by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Let's do some 'true' flies. Order Diptera, of course.

Giant bee flies (Xenox tigrinus). This large species is parasitic on carpenter bees.
ImageBee flies by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Golden-backed snipe fly (Chrysopilus thoracicus). These beautiful flies become common along woodland trails. I want to get more pictures of them, but they are not easy to approach. One of the reasons why I need a longer macro lens, I am thinking.
ImageGolden-backed snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Ornate snipe fly (Chrysophilus ornatus). This one was easy! I especially like the silky looking undercarriage.
ImageOrnate snipe fly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Sippyjug
Posts: 65
Joined: Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:29 am

Re: "Flies" from various orders

Post by Sippyjug »

Bravo..! Excellent series.

leonardturner
Posts: 713
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 11:40 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA

Re: "Flies" from various orders

Post by leonardturner »

A very nice collection of flies. The sawtooth larvae doing a pole dance gave me a smile. Well done!

Leonard

u/zerosapte
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Location: Arad, Romania
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Re: "Flies" from various orders

Post by u/zerosapte »

Wonderful!
What makes photography such a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.

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