Stilt-legged flies (Rainieria antennaepes)

Stilt-legged flies (Rainieria antennaepes) are ichneumonid wasp mimics who walk with their front legs extended, appearing like wasp antennae. I have to admit that this fly did an excellent job of initially fooling me. The adults feed on detritus and dung. The natural history of  this species is poorly understood. There has been an abundance [...]

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Robber fly (Promachus sp.)

Robber flies (Family Asilidae) comprise one of the largest, most abundant families of present day insects. These typically large, voracious predatory flies feed on a wide variety of insects, playing an important role in regulating many insect populations. This individual, the largest robber fly I’ve encountered, posed for a good ten minutes of photographing. Crystal captured [...]

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Parasitic Tachinid Fly (Trichopoda sp.)

The 1300+ different species of this family are internal parasitoids of other insects. Parsitoids, unlike parasites, generally kill their host, avoiding the vital organs until the end of their larval development. Adults commonly feed on flowers. Adult females adhere their eggs to the top of either a leaf-footed insect or squash bug. Larvae exit their [...]

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Syrphid Fly (Syrphus ribesii)

Syrphid flies are abundant, well known mimics of various bees and wasp species. Flies within this genus are predators of aphids and other insects. Adults feed on nectar and pollen, as well as honeydew produced by aphids. This species is widely distributed throughout the U.S., central America, Europe and Asia.

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Giant Western Crane Flies (Holorusia hespera)

Often mistaken for giant mosquitoes, which don’t exist, this is one of the world’s largest crane fly species. Adults are typically found in the vegetation along streams and ponds.  Adult males are smaller than adult females. Adults do not eat, restricting their activities to mating and reproduction. The wormlike larvae are aquatic, feeding on decomposing [...]

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Iris Pollinators: Conopid (thick headed) flies

Conopids, often called thick-headed flies, are distributed worldwide except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. Most are black and yellow, or black and white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees or syrphid flies. They are frequently found feeding on floral nectar. The larvae of all conopids are internal parasites. Adult females aggressively [...]

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Viburnum Pollinators: Sarcophagids (Flesh flies – Sarcophaga pernix)

Sarcophagid adults are active in open, brightly lit environments in proximity to animal waste. Larvae eat the rotting flesh of vertebrates or invertebrates. When you encounter an animal body filled with hundreds or thousands of maggots they are generally maggots of this species. I look forward to learning more about them during the Forensic Entomology [...]

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Viburnum Pollinators: Calliphorids (Blue bottle flies – Calliphora vomitoria)

Spring has been slow in arriving in east central Illinois. The Virburnum plants throughout Champaign-Urbana are flowering, attracting a number of pollinating flies and honeybees. One of the most prominent species this weekend is the blue bottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria). These large, hairy carrion-breeding blowflies are easily identified by their metallic blue abdomens, reddish beards, [...]

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2011 Entomological Society of America North Central Branch Insect Photographic Salon

I decided to do something a little different when I selected images for this salon. Because the number of entomologists on the judging committee for this salon is higher than any other international PSA salons (I think), I entered two images with a proven track record in general PSA Nature competitions (strong detail and background, [...]

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Six Months Ago Today: Local Syrphid Population Increase

We’re holed up in our house while a blizzard surrounds us. The whole Midwest is being impacted as I type. Winds have been averaging about 30 miles per hour most of the day. Gusts of 68 mph. Forecast is for wind chills of -24 and 24 mph winds at 5 AM tomorrow, the time that [...]

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