We had an odd looking fly indoors today. SWMBO thought at first it was a hummingbird hawk moth, but this was a fly not a moth. At rest it had its proboscis out about 5mm as if seeking to feed. Wings were swept right back and seemed to be attached nearer the rear of the body, like some tiny Mig-29 or similar. Size was about that of a bee or wasp, but it weren't them either.
What's this fly ?
Apr 09, 2021
Last reply: 5 years ago
4 Replies
Horsefly?
Probably not a tsetse fly ;)
According to my insect guide, the family Bombyliidae have long probosci, although many of them are furry, a bit like bumble bees.
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This one isn't:
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(Thevenetimyia californica) and fits your description, but as the name suggests, comes from California. Apparently there are forty species of Thevenetimyia, so perhaps it was a different one.
Yes, I decided it was one of these:
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If you loook at the main picture there, and the video, you see the striking way the leading edges of the wings are coloured. I noticed that in particular on yesterday's example.
Bee fly, surely? Type of hoverfly but to the layman looks rather like a bee.
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