Subject: Turkey Bug
Geographic location of the bug: Brewster, NY
Date: 10/01/2018
Time: 11:30 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: This little creature was strutting around atop a car showing off its wings, turkey style! The wings were perfectly perpendicular to its back side. I’d say the insect’s total length was approximately 1/4 inch. The eyes were red-orange and the body consisted of black and white speckling.
It was found in a parking lot with nearby landscaping including ornamental trees and shrubs. Deciduous forest located not too far off. Home Depot is also nearby and I know the shipments of plants both harbor and attract many insect species, some invasive. Hopefully this fellow is a native!
How you want your letter signed: Emeline
Dear Emeline,
We are enthralled with your description of your encounter with Callopistromyia annulipes, one of the Picture Winged Flies in the family Ulidiidae which we identified on BugGuide. What we find most interesting is your comparison of its behavior to a turkey, an observation also made by the entomologists that settled upon Peacock Fly as its common name. Native to North America, it has recently been reported in Europe.