Large black flying insect
Location: Northern Indiana
August 1, 2010 4:23 pm
Today I found this insect dying in my yard in northern Indiana. Ants were busy foraging on it. I could only see one pair of wings. I’ve never seen anything like this one before!
Nick
Hi Nick,
This is a species of Mydas Fly, Mydas tibialis, which we identified by matching your image to photos posted to BugGuide. According to our Audubon Society Guide to North American Insects and Spiders: “Only a few species of mydas flies occur in North America. … The adults are predatory and closely resemble wasps and robber flies.”
Found a mydas tibialis a few years ago and had a difficult time IDying it also. I was told that there aren’t many known populations of this insect in the midwest. I’m a naturalist at Rum Village park in South Bend, IN, (northern IN). Where in Northern IN are you, Nick? I noticed that another mydas tibialis photo was also posted from northern IN.
Vince