Now, back to the insect book. My first glance and I think he might be a March Fly - but he's not like the March Flies I swatted regularly around my horses... or maybe I was too busy with the horses to look closely at the crazy biting fly.
But I'll look again.
And I can't find anything else.
The Australian Museum says March Flies are also called Green Heads (and this one has green eyes) but no photo. And the photos I can see of March Flies, don't look like this fellow. Most are hairy bodied and this one isn't. And the wing patterns aren't right.
So he's the man (or insect) of mystery... unless someone knows what he is.
Hmmm looks like a type of vinegar fly to me, Cate (Drosophila sp). Also called a spotted-wing drosophila. Pretty to look at, but usually not so nice to have around - Drosophila suzukii has been flagged by Biosecurity Aus. as a pest.
ReplyDeleteOh, thanks, Anita. We bred Drosophila in a job I worked in years back and they were nowhere near this pretty.. Must have been a boring species!
DeleteThanks,
Cate
He is too pretty to be a march fly Cate. They are ugly suckers! I'd forgotten about them living in South Oz for 12 years... came back to south west west Oz and yowza, little bloodthirsty things.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree Lily, they are ugly suckers! Don't they have them in SA? We had gazillions of them in middle of NSW and they're still here on the coast. Horrid blighters they are!
DeleteGlad you're back, Lily!
Cate
If they have Marchies in SA, there's nowhere near as many. We got back here in late Jan, most of Feb. They were everywhere. Silly they're called March flies, they're not half so bad here in March as they were in that first fortnight of Feb.
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