Subject: Found a bug I’ve never seen before
Geographic location of the bug: Central Victoria, Australia
Date: 04/28/2018
Time: 05:47 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear bug man, found this sick looking bug when out camping. I’ve never seen anything like it before
How you want your letter signed: From brett
Dear Brett,
The first time we received an image of this species of flightless Female Soldier Fly, Boreoides subulatus, we did not know if we were looking at a mutilated individual that was missing its wings. The species is pictured on iNaturalist and on Atlas of Living Australia, and according to the Museums Victoria site: “Female Wingless Soldier Flies are seen on walls and fences, laying masses of long white eggs. Larvae live in damp soil or rotting vegetation, especially in or near compost.”