When insect photography goes bad

The beautiful tachinid fly Trichopoda pennipes, cooked medium-rare a la torchiere

 Trichopoda pennipes is a parasitic fly that attacks true bugs, and is the particular dipteran responsible for 'death by maggot'.  In addition to devouring leaf-footed bugs from the inside, this Halloween-colored insect also attacks stink bugs, and has been used as a biological control agent for some species in Europe.  For some time now I've been wanting to get a picture of these 'feather-legged flies' laying eggs on stink bugs, and so was delighted to catch a mating pair this afternoon.

Unfortunately, Trichopoda like many insects exhibits a behavior that entomologists call "positive phototaxis."  This is the same behavior that draws a moth to a flame, or as it were, a pair of flies to a 300-watt halogen floor lamp.  As soon as I opened the container both flies spiraled upward with Icarus-like disregard, achieving results comparable to the myth.  Alas, rather than the oviposition action shot I had hoped for, we are left with this photo of another upside-down insect.

Her mate, I am afraid, fared even worse and could not be salvaged at all.  Consequently, it smells of charbroiled death in here, and I am inspired to retire for the evening.

Food webs in the garden: feasting flower flies

Syrphid fly and spiderwort

Most people are familiar with flower flies (also called hover flies), and even those who aren't have probably come across one of the 6000 species in the family Syrphidae.  Recognizing flower flies can be difficult, as many species mimic the yellow and black color patterns of bees and wasps.  Despite their warning colors, the pollen feeding adult flies are harmless.  The offspring of some species, however, are fearsome predators.  The are the stuff of nightmares, if aphids would have bad dreams:

This is what I think it would be like to be eaten by 'The Blob'

These maggots might be confused with caterpillars, as they crawl around on leaf surfaces looking for a meal.  Some species will slime their way through a group of aphids, turning around to consume the now stuck insects at a leisurely pace.  In combination with the ladybird beetles, these have really started to lower the populations of aphids on some of our plants.  Had I not planted a diverse garden that supports other aphids for they syrphids to eat, these predators would not have been around to keep the goldenglow aphids in check.

Not your compost's maggot!

 And for those of you that are feeling terrible about my little red plant-sucking friends, I want to ease your worries: I have reason to believe that aphids do not suffer from night terrors.

Fly Fly Again

Golden-backed Snipe Fly, Chrysopilus thoracicus

 I've been on a fly kick of late, and making a habit of punny post titles.  One of the most striking flies in our area is the Golden-backed Snipe Fly.  Although these rhagionids are rather common in early summer, they still turn my head every time I see them.  Like many flies, males are 'holoptic' with their eyes touching and covering most of their heads, while females eyes are spaced apart.  I presume that this is an adaptation for males identifying and following females on the wing.

Sexual dimorphism

Many rhagionids are predatory, but it is suspected that this species feeds only on nectar, if at all.  The genus 'Chrysopilus' means "golden hair." The scintillating thorax on these flies probably has something to do with my fascination with them...

Oooh so shiny!

Flies time

Self-portrait with Pangoniinae

I'm a big fan of the entomophagy movement but this post isn't about including insects in human diets, rather, it's the other way around.  I was pleased to see Morgan Jackson's post on deer flies; not only for the interesting read and beautiful flies, but also because it's nice to be reminded that there are other folks out there who are [insert adjective] enough to let an insect bite or sting them out of curiosity or for a nice portrait session.

I'm pretty sure that Morgan's photo was more painful than mine; as he mentions, most biting flies in the family Tabanidae use their serrated knife-like mandibles to painfully cut skin, and then drink up the blood.  Flies in the primitive subfamily Pangoniinae, however, are well adapted for feeding on nectar deep within flowers.  This one's long narrow proboscis inflicted little pain when it did bite.  Still, watching the fly work its far-reaching mouthparts into my knee was a little disconcerting:

This is the opposite of entomophagy

 One thing is clear from all these tabanid photos: The world is in need of some insect photographers with slightly less body hair.