Subject: Colourful fly
Geographic location of the bug: Oak Beach qld
Date: 02/14/2019
Time: 09:17 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Spotted this beautiful fly. First time I have seen one like this. Just wondering what it is
How you want your letter signed: Rhonda
Dear Rhonda,
This is a parasitic Tachinid Fly, and according to BugGuide: “Larval stages are parasitoids of other arthropods; hosts include members of 11 insect orders, centipedes, spiders, and scorpions. Some tachinids are very host-specific, others parasitize a wide variety of hosts. The most common hosts are caterpillars. Some tachinids deposit their eggs directly on the body of their host, and it is not uncommon to see caterpillars with several tachinid eggs on them. Upon hatching the larva usually burrows into its host and feeds internally. Full-grown larva leaves the host and pupates nearby.” Your individual resembles this colorful Tachinid Fly from New Guinea. The Museums Victoria Collection has a similar looking individual identified in the genus Rutilia. This Rutilia species on FlickR also looks similar, but not exactly correct. The Brisbane Insect site has images of several species in the genus Rutilia, and we believe the genus is correct, but we are not certain of the species. Tachinid Flies are called Bristle Flies in Australia.