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Stilt-legged Fly - Taeniaptera trivittata |
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Click Here or on the image above for a
Quicktime video of this fly waving its hands
| I would have called
this the "semaphore" fly, in that it constantly waves its front legs
around as if signaling someone or something.
Popular science has it they are mimicking ant or wasp
antennae, but I'm not sold on that theory. Wasp antennae are
jointed and "droop" and certainly don't wave about
like this fly does.
Temnostoma, a Syrphid fly, does a much better job of
mimicking wasp antennae. Family Micropezidae consists of about 40 genera with 475 described species worldwide. I have always found this species in wooded settings near flowing water. |
This Micropezidae, a smaller species, remains unidentified.