Tachinid fly, front view

As nasty as it looks, these flies lay their eggs in the larvae of other insects which subsequently eat their way out, leaving the vital organs for the very last burst of freedom. Yeuch!

comments (5)

Claire Hamilton

Lion

This is the hairy little fellow that was siting atop the stinkhorn fungus:-

Posted 11 years ago

Jivko Nakev

Lion

Great photo, Claire! Very good DOF. Posted 11 years ago

Ferdy Christant

Lion

World-class, Claire! I was hoping you would be able to find this fly once more. Yes, insect behavior can be quite rough. This reminds me of an insect that carries the dead bodies of its victims on its back, as a protective shield:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/02/article-0-12E16F52000005DC-127_964x564.jpg

Disgusting as well as fascinating. Posted 11 years ago
1. Claire Hamilton
  
  Lion
  
  OMG thats just horrible!!
  Thank you both for your comments, this evil little monster seemed quite happy to have its photo taken! Posted 11 years ago

Msalicat

Giant Tortoise

Love the detail. Sounds like a disgusting creature :) Posted 11 years ago

The Tachinid fly

Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered. There are over 1300 species in North America. Insects in this family are commonly called tachina flies or simply tachinids. As far as is known, they all are Protelean parasitoids, or occasionally parasites, of Arthropoda.
The family is cosmopolitan. Species occur in many habitats in many regions, including Neotropical, Nearctic,[1].. more

Info 2 0

Similar species: True Flies

Species identified by Claire Hamilton