LARGE Black Fly – Copestylum mexicanum?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 23, 2011 7:51 pm
I notice you have some photos of this large, bold fly here at your site. My question is, is mine also a Mexican Cactus Fly? It’s another ”new to the yard” bug, and I didn’t notice that it’s body was blue . . .
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Mexican Cactus Fly
Hi Anna,
Your identification of the Mexican Cactus Fly is correct. The body is actually black with a blue sheen. The blue sheen only shows when the light strikes the fly’s body from the right angle.
Mexican Cactus Fly
Thanks Daniel! I noticed that in a related post you say that this is a skittish fly. For some reason, our yard seemed to calm this particular specimen. It stayed for long periods of time and didn’t seem to mind the camera being very close to it. Not the first skittish bug this has happened with. We wonder why this is.
Anna
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What is this fly?
Location: Venice, California
October 21, 2011 11:26 pm
I saw this in my yard in Venice, CA. Just wondering what it is. I have never seen anything like it before or since and have been unable to find it online. Thanks!
Signature: Aaron H.
Hover Fly
Hi Aaron,
Sadly, this lovely California Hover Fly or Flower Fly in the family Syrphidae has no common name other than the general name attributed to the entire family. The species is Eristalinus taeniops which you may verify on Bugguide.
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GIANT fly
Location: Dallas, TX
October 17, 2011 9:53 pm
I’ve lived in Dallas, TX for 40 years and have never seen such a thing. Found today on our hydrangea plant. It has a fat head, thorax & abdomen, is mostly black with awesome horizontal red stripes across the top of its huge eyes, has white fuzz between the thorax & abdomen, and it’s wings fold in a crossed fassion, unlike most flies. Its legs are just like a common house fly (only larger) and it rubs them together and walks/behaves like a fly. When it flies it sounds loud like a bee. It’s about an inch long!
Signature: Grasshopper
Rodent Bot Fly
Dear Grasshopper,
This amazing fly is a Rodent Bot Fly in the genus Cuterebra, but alas, we don’t recognize the species. It doesn’t seem to match any of the species posted to Bugguidewhich describes the life cycle as: “Females typically deposit eggs in the burrows and ‘runs’ of rodent or rabbit hosts. A warm body passing by the eggs causes them to hatch almost instantly and the larvae glom onto the host. The larvae are subcutaneous (under the skin) parasites of the host. Their presence is easily detected as a tumor-like bulge, often in the throat or neck or flanks of the host. The larvae breathe by everting the anal spiracles out a hole (so they are oriented head-down inside the host). They feed on the flesh of the host, but only rarely does the host die as a result.”
Rabbit Bot Fly
GIANT Fly – much better picture!
Location: Dallas, TX
October 17, 2011 10:30 pm
Please refer to my previous submission today.
thanks
Signature: Grasshopper
Rabbit Bot Fly
We will add this to the posting we already created for your amazing beautiful Rodent Bot Fly which we now believe to be a Rabbit Bot Fly, Cuterebra buccata, based on photos posted to BugGuide.
Wow, that is awesome! Will definitely comment back! Thanks Daniel.
Greg Hotchkiss, aka Grasshopper (my best friends actually have called me that since college)
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Circle of Life
Location: Contra Costa County, CA
October 13, 2011 9:17 pm
Saw this guy flipping around on a leaf while hiking along the edge of a marsh. Didn’t even see the ant until I looked at the picture on my camera. I wasn’t able to stick around to see who won, but I know those ants aggressively defend their eucalyptus.
Signature: Fel
MIdge and Ant relationship
Dear Fel,
We cannot imagine what the Ant is doing to the Midge. You actually witnessed it, so you think it looked like a battle. We sense that this is some symbiotic relationship or possibly a one sided relationship. Perhaps this became Phoresy after the camera stopped running.
The midge was flipping around like he was trying to get away but the ant had a good grip on him. Those eucalyptus have some sort of psyllid insect, tortoise beetles (fast little buggers), and those ants. If you touch the leaves, the ants come running so I assumed the ant was defending his territory.
More bug love
Location: s. indiana
October 11, 2011 7:33 pm
Found these little guys doing the deed on the hood of my SUV. Are these are regular house flies?
Signature: brian
Mating Flesh Flies
Hi Brian,
These are not House Flies. We believe they are Flesh Flies in the family Sarcophagidae. According to BugGuide, they are: “Similar to blowflies, but generally blackish with gray thoracic stripes (never metallic); 3 black racing stripes on a gray background” and they often have red eyes.
October 13, 2011 5:54 am
You are right these are flesh flies
Signature: brian
Location: Mt Washington, Los Angeles, California
October 10, 2011
When Daniel arrived at the What’s That Bug? offices after a long day at work, this Mexican Cactus Fly was buzzing loudly at the porch light. This elusive fly does not like to sit still in the garden, and Daniel has never been successful at getting a photo of a living specimen. He quickly snatched this one and chilled it for a photo opportunity. The incandescent lights and ungainly position of the Mexican Cactus Fly don’t really make the most attractive photo, but at least there is a photo to post of this skittish species. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on rotting cactus. Adults feed on nectar from various flowers.”
Cactus Fly
Tachinid Fly?
October 9, 2011
in paso robles yesterday, this very bristly, large beastie flew away from its mates on the coyote bush into the house. he was fearsome-looking, but didn’t mind being caught in a jar and released 
this guy had definite orange spots. i looked him up in the book i have in paso robles, but forget its name – the fly and the book…
clare.
Spiny Tachinid Fly
Ed. Note: This came to Daniel’s personal email address from a close friend. Here is some of the email chatter.
Julian Donahue provides some input
Tachinid, all right. Perhaps one of the ones that parasitizes the wild silk moths, like Hyalophora euryalus (that’s the name of the moth, not the fly). There are also some big ones that parasitize earthworms.
jpd
he looked big enough to parasitise anything his little heart desires!
i have only ever seen them in the fall… could that be?
http://bugguide.net/node/view/449075/bgimage
ooh – yes, that’s him (her?).
Tachinid Fly – Paradejeania rutilioides
they were all over the baccharis.
it’s a lovely camera. but, the beast was inside the house and i was outside the window shooting thru not exactly recently-cleaned glass. further, the beast was high on the rolled up blind – and i was on my tiptoes – wobbling
BugGuide reports them in California from August through December. BugGuide also notes: “Adults take nectar, especially from late blooming Asteraceae. Larval host: the arctiid moth Hemihyalea edwardsii, at least in part of its range (Hsu & Powell 1992).” Surprised Julian didn’t know that Arctiid host tidbit.
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large, mating bugs – Georgia
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
October 8, 2011 9:11 am
We saw these 2 insects (appear to be mating) on a sunny, warm day in early October 2011 in Atlanta, GA. They are quite large – perhaps wingspans of 6 inches and leg spans of 12 inches with almost iridescent wings. We’ve lived here almost 10 years and had never seen these, although we may be seeing more next year if mating was successful. Anyone know what they are? Thanks!
Signature: Dan and Ade
Giant Crane Flies Mating
Dear Dan and Ade,
Most people who encounter Crane Flies mistake them for very large mosquitoes, but unlike Mosquitoes, Crane Flies do not feed on blood. A common name we have encountered for Crane Flies is Mosquito Hawks, however, Crane Flies do not prey on Mosquitoes. It is generally believed that adult Crane Flies do not feed, or that they subsist on a liquid diet. Your individuals are Giant Crane Flies, Tipula abdominalis, and according to BugGuide: “large size coupled with black velvety patches on thorax is diagnostic feature.” The God of Insects website has a nice synopsis of the life cycle of the Giant Crane Fly that is copyright 2003 by Barbara Strnadova that states: “This striking crane fly is found wherever there are freshwater streams in central and eastern North America. The large, plump larvae, often called “leather jackets”, are aquatic. They can be found under rocks, in debris and in mud along the bottoms of streams in many different habitats. The larvae are detritivores and are abundant wherever there is sufficient rotten leaf litter. Two generations of adults emerge each year; one May-July and another beginning in August or September. While Tipula abdominalis is one of the largest crane flies, many crane flies in the genus Tipula are also quite big. These large flies are often mistaken for giant mosquitoes, while in some parts of their range these giant flies are called “Mosquito Hawks”, a name that really refers to the famous Green Darner Dragonfly. Crane flies are called “Mosquito Hawks” or “Mosquito Eaters” under the mistaken assumption that they are some kind of predatory fly. The reality of the situation is quite different, for they take sustenance only from flower nectar – if they eat at all. They cannot bite so although they are huge, you have no need to fear them. Tipula abdominalis is often attracted to lights at night.” Since the larvae are aquatic, you would need a freshwater stream nearby for this mating to result in procreation, however, since Crane Flies are feeble fliers, we can presume that there is a nearby stream. Here is a photo of an aquatic larva of the Giant Crane Fly from BugGuide.
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