pond larva
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
March 31, 2011 7:30 pm
We have found a larva from our pond. It was in the outflow of the pond. The pond is just below freezing. The larca is a little more than 1 inch in length. It is segmented, white with black banding at the segments. It comes to the surface for air. Hopefully the attached pictures will help identify it. The penny is for size comparrison.
Signature: John
Horse Fly Larva
Hi John,
This is the larva of a Horse Fly. These aquatic larvae are predatory and they feed upon small pond creatures.
1
Bee or Fly?
Location: Southeastern Florida, Palm Beach County
March 15, 2011 10:01 am
I was taking pictures of the blooms on an ornamental cactus, and this bug wouldn’t take no for an answer. It kept getting into the shots. It seemed interested in the pollen at the center of the blooms. Can you identify it for me? Specifically, what kind of Bee or Fly is it? Pics taken 3/13/2011.
Signature: Tom
Flower Fly
Hi Tom,
While we haven’t the time to research the exact species, we can tell you that this is a Syrphid Fly or Flower Fly in the family Syrphidae. Many Syrphids mimic bees for protection. You may try to self identify you Flower Fly by browsing through the hundreds of images on BugGuide.
Daniel,
Thanks for the quick answer and the link. I think I found it, Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae) » Syrphinae » Toxomerini » Toxomerus » Toxomerus marginatus.
Tom
Tom,
Thanks so much for taking the initiative on this ID after we provided you with a point of departure. It really does appear that your Syrphid might be Toxomerus marginatus, though this is a large and confusing family for us and we believe a dipterist might be needed to accurately confirm this ID. BugGuide has these interesting remarks : “Considered beneficial insects, because they are predatory on many plant pests. This article suggests that they and other syrphids are more efficient at pest control in sheltered sites. When the pupa is exposed to heat, the adults look very pale and orange, if they develop under cold conditions, they turn much darker, sometimes nearly completely black. (Comment by Martin Hauser)”
artichoke fly (Terellia fuscicornis)
Location: San Jose, CA
March 15, 2011 6:50 pm
Hey Bugman!
I was browsing the site yesterday and was surprised to find that no one had yet identified the artichoke fly, although there were two photos of them in previous postings(albeit probably different species). This photo I have submitted of the fly was taken in my backyard on my artichoke plant. The fly in my photo closely resembles the Terellia fuscicornis on BugGuide because of the V shape hair pattern on the thorax, so I am assuming it is such. According to the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture, ”The artichoke fly (Terellia fuscicornis) was accidentally introduced into California, but is not a CDFA approved biocontrol agent.”
Signature: Vincent, fellow buglover
Artichoke Fly
Hi Vincent,
Thank you so much for taking the time to identify your Artichoke Fly on BugGuide and also for providing the image for our readership.
Unknown Insect
Location: SW Florida
March 11, 2011 7:27 pm
Haven’t seen this one before. Found in a local park. Landed only on leaves & always faced me when moving from leaf to leaf. About 2 inches long. Also flies. Head swivels like Dragonflies does. I’ve been taking nature photos for 20 years & this bug is a new one for me & I cannot find it in any of my critter I.D. books. Hope you can help, thnak you.
Signature: Susan
Bee-Like Robber Fly
Hi Susan,
This is a Robber Fly in the family Asilidae, but we are having problems with a more specific identification. We believe it is either in either the genus Mallophora or the genus Laphria, both of which mimic bees. These predatory Robber Flies are fierce hunters and they prey upon bees, wasps and other large flying insects which they attack on the wing. We are favoring Laphria, because it appears that the antennae are thicker, though the angle of your photograph makes that feature difficult to verify. There are numerous species in the genus Laphria, and we are having problems identifying all the features your specimen possesses and matching them to a specific species. The combination of yellow beard, yellow thorax, yellow markings on abdomen, and yellow hairs on the legs should be distinguishing features, and we cannot seem to find a match on BugGuide. We are going to try to contact a Robber Fly expert, Dr. Robert Cannings, to see if he is able to provide a species identification.
Bee-Like Robber Fly
Hi Daniel:
It’s good to hear from you.
The robber fly is definitely a Laphria. There are a number of species in Florida, and I’m not familiar enough with them to be able to make a reasonable guess at this one’s identity. It’s a nice photo, but I can’t see the sides of the thorax or the abdominal colour pattern well enough to run it through a key. You could try Eric Fisher who knows much more about southern US species than I do.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Regards,
Rob
Strange fly
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
March 9, 2011 10:41 pm
I was at work and noticed this very odd looking insect. It appears to be some sort of fly though I haven’t the faintest idea what type. Forgive the low resolution photo, it was all my phone could muster.
Signature: Brian B
Robber Fly
Hi Brian,
Your photo does not have enough detail for us to be able to determine a species, however, the silhouette alone allows us to identify this as a Robber Fly in the family Asilidae. Robber Flies are very adept hunters.
Dragonfly hunter
Location: Sydney Australia
March 9, 2011 11:57 pm
Dear bugman,can you please identify this
fearsome looking dragenfly hunter ,I found in my garden this morning?
King Regards
Signature: Katja
Robber Fly eats Dragonfly
Hi Katja,
The Robber Fly in your photo looks like an especially large specimen, and large Robber Flies are capable of snatching large flying prey on the wing. They are formidable hunters. We believe we have properly identified your Robber Fly as the Common Yellow Robber Fly, Ommatius sp., by comparing your photos to those posted on the Insects of Brisbane website.
Male Midge – Chironomidae
Location: Utah, 6,000 feet
March 5, 2011 11:29 am
I see several insects in the winter, as the weather begins to warm up. On this walk I took, I found several of these little black, fuzzy antenna insects. I perused your site, as well as another site that talks about insects, and think I’ve identified it as a Male non-biting Midge.
This was taken in Utah, at about 6,000 ft. on March 4.
Signature: Wendy
Snow Midge
Hi Wendy,
Your identification is correct. We are pleased to hear that you are using internet resources to research your identification requests and that our site was a component of your research. Though we have photos of Midges on our website, your photo is the first Snow Midge we have received. BugGuide has an excellent image of a male Snow Midge that matches your image. We also found a very nice Nature Post on Snow Midges on the Abundant Nature website.
¶ Posted 06 March 2011 § Midges ‡ ° Fuzzy Flies and Robot Fly!
Location: Sacred Valley, Peru
March 3, 2011 1:49 pm
Hello! I am in Peru in the Sacred Valley out of Cuzco. I have 2 fuzzy fly specimen I was hoping you could help me identify! I don’t believe they’re the same! I also got lucky with this last shot of a fly who looks like he’s part machine! What are they…offically?
Thanks, WTB team!
Signature: offthegridinperu
Bee, possibly Long-Horned Bee
Dear offthegridinperu,
We are amused that despite being off the grid, you have internet access. One of your lovely Peruvian insects is not a Fly. It is a Bee, and we believe it may be a Long-Horned Bee in the tribe Eucerini. You may compare your photo to some North American Long-Horned Bees posted to BugGuide.
Fly, possibly Tachinid Fly
We believe one of your Flies is a Tachinid Fly. Tachinids are parasitic to a wide variety of insects and they are often quite spiny. You may use BugGuide to see some examples of North American Tachinids. Finally, we believe the Fly you compared to a machine may be a Flesh Fly in the family Sarcophagidae, and again, North American species may be found on BugGuide.
Fly, possibly Flesh Fly
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