Sarcophagidae

I've been sharing a lot of Diptera lately it seems - but don't worry, I have some Hymenoptera and Coleoptera on the pinning board, and a couple new ones from Kit's mom in Virginia. I don't like this family very much - essentially really large hairy black flies with white and black stripes on the thorax. One distinguishing characteristic is that on the edge of the thorax there is a line of four bristles, with the pattern short-long-short-long. They are also identifiable by the red eyes, red "tail light" and 3 white/gray stripes on the thorax. Other specimens have 2-3 bristles, no bristles, or a different pattern. Unfortunately the bristle pattern is a bit too small for my camera to capture. This fly was found by a stream in Nicene Marks redwood forest in Santa Cruz.

Diptera; Calyptratae; Oestroidea; Sarcophagidae; Sarcophaginae; Sarcophaga
Common Name: Flesh Fly

Flesh flies get their name Sarcophagidae from the greek, "Sarco" meaning "flesh," and "Phage" meaning "eater." They were so named because the larvae are commonly laid in decaying animals and are sometimes so numerous that they fill the animal beneath the skin. However, some species are able to lay their eggs in flesh wounds of living animals. Flesh flies can be found on almost every continent. They are closely related to blow flies (Calliphoridae), which are the metallic blue, green, gold flies one commonly sees with decaying matter also. There is one blow fly which looks similar to the flesh fly in that it also has a few gray stripes on its thorax, but it is generally not as large, does not have the characteristic bristles or red "tail light", and its abdomen has a slightly metallic characteristic.

Rhagionidae

This is the first of the Pacific Grove/Big Sur/Santa Cruz/Muir Woods batch - a Snipe Fly, family Rhagionidae. These flies are medium-sized and have large legs with three-padded tarsi, as opposed to most flies which have two-padded tarsi and a middle claw. Most snipe flies are brownish, gray, or black with spots of white, yellow, or green. They may have bare bodies or short hairs. They are common in woods, especially moist places (such as Muir Woods), and the larvae feed on small insects. A few snipe flies are biting pests.

Diptera; Orthorrhapha; Tabanomorpha; Rhagionidae; Rhagio
Snipe Fly

Phorid Flies

This entry isn't part of the typical "collection" posts, but I wanted to address a certain topic. I greatly dislike when the media oversensationalizes something which is already interesting on its own. Case in point: Phorid flies as parasites of ants. It is a very fascinating parasitoid, and the title used for the article is "Parasitic flies turn ants into zombies." In a way it is technically true, but it gives a very hokey description of a neat process. Also, it is misleading in its topic, suggesting in the article that the maggots "control ant populations and the ant's movements," almost in a science fiction-y horror way. Thankfully, one of the scientists sets the record straight by saying, "I wouldn’t use the word 'control’ to describe what is happening. There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly. This wandering stage goes on for about two weeks."

I learned about this parasitoid in my Insect Ecology course, and what happens is a Phorid fly attacks an ant, and lays an egg in the thorax. The larvae hatches and moves up into the ant's head, eventually consuming the brain and decapitating the ant (it dies and its head falls off). While it is being consumed, sure, the ant wanders around aimlessly, but that is really no surprise - insects can wander around for a while without heads or all their limbs, or with crushed body parts. The head capsule serves as protection for the larvae as it develops and eventually it emerges as an adult fly. Adding a sci-fi/horror/fiction aspect to it diminishes the true awesomeness of real-life nature.

Information about family Phoridae, aka Hump-Backed Flies:

These small flies are recognized by the humpbacked appearance, special veination of the wings, and laterally flattened hind femora. They also run in a very erratic fashion. The adults are common in habitats like decaying vegetation, and the larvae live in a variety of places: decaying animal or vegetable matter, fungi, or they are internal parasites of other insects. Some even live in the nests of ants or termites, and have reduced or absent wings.

Tachinidae

This family is part of the superfamily Calyptratae, or Calyptrate Muscoid Flies, which include common house flies, bot flies, blow files, flesh flies, etc. the family Tachinidae is the second largest of the order Diptera, with about 1,350 known North American species. Some ways of distinguishing Tachinids from other similar flies is that their aristae (the hair extension from the third segment of the antennae) is not hairy, they have a large lobe under their last dorsal thoracic segment, and have bristles in two small regions under the wing joint. Tachinid flies are fairly common, and come in a variety of colors.

Diptera; Calyptratae; Oestroidea; Tachinidae

In general, Tachinids are large, bristly flies and tend to be parasitoids, specifically larvae of other insects such as those in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. They parasitize the host either by laying an egg directly on the host, after which the egg hatches and the larvae enters and feeds on the host, or they lay eggs on plant and the egg is ingested by the host or the egg hatches and attaches to a host on its own. The host is nearly always killed, thus Tachinids are parasitoids, not parasites (which usually leave the host alive). The parasitoid can affect the host's behavior as well, causing it to feed on differently or extending its pupal life span to allow the parasitoid to grow and feed for longer. Many Tachinids can appear wasplike or beelike as well, the following are two examples.

Riodinidae

Here is a recently caught specimen, a medium-small butterfly of the family Riodinidae, or Metalmarks. There is some debate whether the group Riodinidae is a subfamily of Lycaenidae, or a separate family under Papilionoidea. Lycaenidae consists of small, delicate, often brightly colored butterflies. The body is slender, the antennae are usually ringed with white, and the eyes are surrounded by scales. The larvae are flat and sluglike, many secrete honeydew, and some live in ant nests where ants can feed upon the honeydew they secrete. If we take the interpretation that Riodinidae is a subfamily of Lycaenidae, there are two other subfamilies - Miletinae and Lycaeninae.

Lepidoptera; Papilionoidea; (Lycaenidae; Riodininae) Riodinidae; Apodemia virgulti
Common Name: Behr's Metalmark

*I find the eye spots on this specimen to be particularly fantastic - it has the white of the eye, the pupil, iris, etc. I accentuated the eye spots on the lower right image*

More detail on the family/subfamily Riodinidae: Metalmarks are small, dark-colored butterflies that differ from the other Lycaenidae subfamilies in that the costal vein of the hind wing is thickened and they have a short humeral vein in the hind wing. Most are tropical or western. The larvae tend to feed on ragwort and thistle. This particular species has been found almost exclusively in California. This species' larvae also tend to feed on buckwheat.

Here are the final pinned versions of the above butterfly, the crane fly, and the sphinx moth.

*Corrected from Mormon Metalmark - according to bugguide: "this species differs from others in the mormo complex by the brick-red, or reddish-orange areas on the dorsal surface of both FW and HW, and generally darker appearance." Also, this specimen was found early spring, while a similar subspecies of Mormon Metalmarks is found in late summer or early fall.*

Sphingidae

I caught this sphinx moth, also known as a hummingbird moth, outside one of the places I work. They are extremely common and can be seen from morning to night, hovering and drinking nectar from flowers with a long proboscis. They truly resemble hummingbirds in size and style of feeding, with rapidly beating wings. I have included a picture of the specimen while pinned, in addition to the crane fly from the other day.

Lepidoptera; Bombycoidea; Sphingidae; Macroglossinae; Macroglossini; Hyles lineata
Common Name: White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Sphinx moths usually have rather large bodies, narrow wings, and in the case of the above species, extremely long proboscises. The larvae are usually green hornworms, which are major agricultural pests. One species' larvae is a common agricultural pest, the tomato hornworm. Others feed on tobacco and other plants. However, the larvae are also often attacked by parasites like braconid wasps.

Tipulidae

This specimen is a member of the family Tipulidae, and has become very abundant this time of year in San Diego. They are often mistaken as "giant mosquitoes" or are labeled "mosquito eaters". There are over a thousand species from this family in North America.

Diptera; Tipulomorpha; Tipulidae
Common Name: Crane Fly

It is difficult to narrow down the genus without a key specific for Tipulidae. This family contains flies with long thin abdomens, long narrow wings, and extremely long legs. They are often found dancing around artificial lights or across grassy fields. The females have pointed abdomens, while the males have rounded abdomens. Crane fly larvae bear the common name "leatherjackets" and consume roots and plant material, while the adults may consume nectar. They have a very ephemeral adult phase - the main objective is to mate. They do not bite or sting, and are easily captured.

Dipteran and Chilopoda (Centipede)

I went on an excursion today to try to find new insects. The usual trail was open again, so we went and I collected insects and more caterpillar feed. I decided to get some leafy ground weeds since grass is hardly nutritious and these caterpillars seem to crave variety in their diet. Most of the wild ones were smaller than my six, so I must be doing something right.

As for the non-insect specimen collected today, here are lovely pictures:

Arthropoda; Chilopoda; Scolopendromorpha; Scolopendridae; Scolopendra polymorpha
Common Name: Common Desert Centipede

This species comes in a variety of colors, hence the species name polymorpha. Its color range includes orange, yellow, blue, red, and various light-dark combinations. They tend to take cover under rocks and consume small insects, particularly crickets. It can reach a length of up to 5 inches and is common in the southwest United States.

By the by, I am going to need a new camera, specifically for macro photographs. I love the macro on my current camera, but for creatures smaller than 10 mm it just does not do them justice.

Apidae

I went to Coyote Hills preserve with the family today, and caught a large bumble bee - however, since I already have a bumble bee specimen, and bumble bees are becoming threatened species, I decided to let him go. Before I released him, I took a few nice photographs and was able to identify him based on these photographs.

Hymenoptera; Aculeata; Apoidea; Apidae; Apinae; Bombini; Bombus vosnesenskii
Common Name: Yellow-faced Bumble Bee

This specimen is approximately 1.5 inches long, with two yellow stripes and a yellow face. Not much is known about bumble bees. They form colonies with usually 50 members, not as organized or specialized as honey bee or ant colonies. Because the founder female has to make or choose a burrow, it is not very large or she settles in a vacant burrow made by a ground animal. The area in which this specimen was caught was covered with ground squirrel burrows, so it is likely that one of those burrows contains the nest. In the first picture above, the bee is cleaning its face (cute, I think). Their populations are threatened by habitat destruction, diseases from commercially raised bumble bee populations, and invasive social insects such as the Pennsylvania Yellow Jacket, which is able to forage more nectar and compete for space.

I also snapped a photograph of this fly, which looks like a Tachinid fly, but could easily be a different family, as many similar looking flies are members of different families.

Welcome

I have decided to devote a blog to my entomology hobby - I collect, photograph (amateur), identify, and research insects. I also love spiders, so I may feature them occasionally, but the main emphasis is on insects. I will include common name and scientific name to family, possibly to genus/species if I have the time.

To preface, I may be doing some research on the side in the entomology field, most likely related to ants (Formicidae) or yellow jackets (Vespidae). Hopefully this blog will interest a few, but primarily it is for the purpose of recording my insect collecting! I will not bore with insects I have collected in the past, but every new insect will have its own entry! And I will update regarding my work at the university or insect trends. I am based in California so the insect population is not unusually diverse, but there are plenty to sate my curiosity!

Diptera; Brachycera; Asilomorpha; Empidoidea; Empididae;

These flies are often found in annoying swarms. This specimen is approximately 5mm long. When you think you're walking through a swarm of "gnats" you may be walking through a swarm of Empididae, or dagger/dance/balloon flies. Historically, evidence in amber has placed the family Empididae as far back as the Cretaceous.