Subject: Some kind of fly?
Geographic location of the bug: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Date: 08/30/2017
Time: 03:48 PM EDT
What is this? I have never seen this before, and it was sitting on a hummingbird feeder outside my mother-in-law’s apartment in north central Oklahoma (Stillwater).
How you want your letter signed: Shelley M
Dear Shelley,
We can’t understand why the beautiful green Soldier Flies in the genus Hedriodiscus have no common names. Based on this BugGuide image, we believe your individual is Hedriodiscus binotatus. Of the family, BugGuide notes: “Often superficially resemble wasps in appearance and behavior. Adults vary widely in color and shape. Wings at rest are folded scissorlike across the abdomen. Antennae characteristic in having a long terminal segment which, when bent, gives a flagged appearance.” Tree of Life notes: “The adults are most often collected on foliage in damp forests, near bodies of water, or near boggy areas (James 1981).”
