#1231-1235 - Yet More Flies
#1231 - Anomalomydas mackerrasi - Mackerra’s Midas Fly
Jean Hort, who’s a regular contributor to the Western Australian insects community, asked everybody to keep their eyes open for this particular species - a Midas Fly with skinny femurs.
A day or two later, one landed on my windscreen. Thus ensued some 20 minutes of me climbing up onto the roof of the van, and crawling around getting photos of it from various angles. The locality was typical for the species - open, mixed Banksia and eucalypt woodland on sandhills, but being down in Australind made it the southernmost record for the animal, so go me.
#1232 - Miltinus sp - Midas Fly
A colourful Mydas Fly that I stalked along a limestone track in Dawesville for about 30 minutes, trying to sneak up close enough for some good photos. Quite a striking insect.
Unfortunately, the entire area of woodland I found it in has since been bulldozed flat for another housing development. Sigh.
#1233 - Rivellia sp. - Signal Fly
A common genus of Signal Fly (Fam. Platystomatidae) around these parts. Platystomatids are distinctive family of flies, predominately tropical, with around 1200 species in 119 genera.
Signal flies are very variable in appearance, ranging from small (2.5 mm), slender species to large (20 mm), robust individuals, often with having a metallic luster and with face and wings usually patterned with dark spots or bands. In the case of these ones, two silver lines between the eyes.
In some species of Platystomatid, the heads and legs (fore legs especially) may be oddly shaped, extended in various ways or with adornments, all of which serve to supplement threat displays and combat against rival signal flies.
Adults are frequently found on tree trunks and foliage and are attracted to flowers, decaying fruit, excrement, sweat, and decomposing snails. Larvae are found on fresh and in decaying vegetation, carrion, human corpses, and root nodules. Most larvae are either phytophagous (eating plant material) or saprophagous (eating decomposing organic matter). Some are predatory on other insects and others have been found in human lesions, while others are of minor agricultural significance.
Perth, WA
#1234 - Brunettia sp. - Moth Fly
One two three FOUR five, six seven eight NINE ten, eleven TWELVE, doo-doodoo doDOdum, doo dum do doodoo doDUMdoDUM TWELVE
An exceptionally fluffy genus of already exceptionally fluffy tiny flies. These ones were flying around and landing on burnt logs in eucalyptus woodland, down in the SW of the state.
They also seemed to be laying eggs in cracks in the burnt logs, which was a bit strange, since Moth Flies (aka Drain Fly) larvae feed on biofilms, and the forest was quite dry. Perhaps they were getting ready for the winter rains, or not ovipositing at all. They are very tiny flies, after all.
Still, it was nice to see Psychodid flies in the wild for once, instead of hanging around bathrooms or portable toilets.
Near Cundinup, SW Western Australia
#1235 - Inopus rubriceps - Sugarcane Soldier Fly
Unusually for Soldier Flies (Stratiomyidae) this species is actually an agricultural pest, with the larvae attacking the roots of sugarcane here in Australia, but also found in New Zealand, and accidentally introduced to California 60 years ago. It was first found in San Francisco, and from there has slowly spread to adjacent counties in the SF Bay area - where it seems to be restricted to today. They’re a moderate sod pest in California, and that is probably what it was eating here in Glen Iris, near Bunbury - it’s not like we grow sugarcane down here, but we’ve got plenty of lawn.