It came from the mist!
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
It came from the mist!
Hi Gang
A small green iridescent fly that is entering our reality!
Mike
A small green iridescent fly that is entering our reality!
Mike
- iconoclastica
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- MarkSturtevant
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We were at the pet show recently and people are doing just that with the large "stick bugs".Yawns wrote:I'm sure if some insects were bigger and more "visible" we would have some as pets, ... like we have parrots, and canaries and other animals...Pizzazz wrote:Lou
Imagine if they were larger enough that you had to "avoid" them!
Mike
Pizzazz,
Lovely image. Were this found in Rockford Illinois where I live I would say id is a Condylostylus patibulatus . If it were found in Florida, Hawaii or California probably Condylostylus longicornus . Without location or a wing/leg shot hard to say exact species. Definitely a Longlegged fly
I have photographed long legged fly eyes for nearly 10 years now. Big ones, tiny ones, fancy ones (like this lovely specimen) and plane ones. Scientists at NYU are interested in how the well ordered rows (the Bayer grid iconoclastica mentions) are regulated as the fly develops. They have done a number of experiments and confirmed that the color sensing cell type in the fly retina of each ommatidium (UV, green, blue, etc) is linked with the color we see from the outside. With most flies the color sensing cells are stochastically (randomly) distributed. This is the only Bayer grid found in nature that I am aware of. Human retinas have stochastic patterns.
BugEZ
Edit for typo
Lovely image. Were this found in Rockford Illinois where I live I would say id is a Condylostylus patibulatus . If it were found in Florida, Hawaii or California probably Condylostylus longicornus . Without location or a wing/leg shot hard to say exact species. Definitely a Longlegged fly
I have photographed long legged fly eyes for nearly 10 years now. Big ones, tiny ones, fancy ones (like this lovely specimen) and plane ones. Scientists at NYU are interested in how the well ordered rows (the Bayer grid iconoclastica mentions) are regulated as the fly develops. They have done a number of experiments and confirmed that the color sensing cell type in the fly retina of each ommatidium (UV, green, blue, etc) is linked with the color we see from the outside. With most flies the color sensing cells are stochastically (randomly) distributed. This is the only Bayer grid found in nature that I am aware of. Human retinas have stochastic patterns.
BugEZ
Edit for typo
Pizzazz asked
Generally, Mother Nature is not wasteful and traits that are not needed tend to disappear rather quickly. So my guess is that it definitely benefits the critter some way.
A good question and one I puzzle over often.
We think so but don’t know exactly how. Some of the orderly pattern flies fish for larvae and nematodes in shallow puddles. Others catch prey (small midges) on the wing. Others eat small leaf lice and aphids off the tops of the foliage where they tend to hang out. The hierarchy of escape-hunt-breed does not provide a common visual denominator that we can easily recognize. The dolichopodidae know but are silent on the topic.Does the color of the eye benefit the fly?
Generally, Mother Nature is not wasteful and traits that are not needed tend to disappear rather quickly. So my guess is that it definitely benefits the critter some way.
A good question and one I puzzle over often.
Regarding “it took me over an hour to catch one”...
https://youtu.be/LQb6fyFMBzg
https://youtu.be/xuwslq2-AY4
For a long time I used a net. Then the graduate student the second video was made for showed me how to catch directly into a cup. Much quicker as the fly wrangling overhead of getting the fly in a cup is omitted.
K
https://youtu.be/LQb6fyFMBzg
https://youtu.be/xuwslq2-AY4
For a long time I used a net. Then the graduate student the second video was made for showed me how to catch directly into a cup. Much quicker as the fly wrangling overhead of getting the fly in a cup is omitted.
K
- rjlittlefield
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Once upon a time, I found myself without a net and wanting to catch some butterflies. In desperation I tried a small clear plastic bag, and found to my surprise that it worked great! My speculation is that the bag was transparent enough that the butterflies did not perceive it as a threat. Many of them did not even react as I slowly lowered the bag around them. Have you checked to see if completely clear plastic cups would work even better with your flies?BugEZ wrote:...catch directly into a cup...
--Rik
I agree, but some traits are just useless accidental consequences of other traits that do convey a selective advantage. For example, there's no selective advantage to blood being red, per se. This just happens to be the color of a chemical that works well for oxygen transport."Generally, Mother Nature is not wasteful and traits that are not needed tend to disappear rather quickly. "