Irritatingly specific question: has Forcipomyia seneveti been renamed? Came out in a 100 yo key but v. little information available about this species so either it's v. understudied despite old papers implying it's not rare, or there is information but calls it something else? #Diptera #Forcipomyia

Stick insect (maybe genus Dyme?) bearing body-length antennae with red legs and a green and yellow body dotted with black spines resting vertically on an upright branch in the vegetation of an Ecuadorian rainforest. Attached just behind the head of the stick insect is a yellowish-white engorged ectoparasitic fly species in genus Forcipomyia.

Close-up of stick insect Stick insect (maybe genus Dyme?) showing the black spines dotted along the green and yellow body. A leaf forms the background vegetation of this photo taken in an Ecuadorian rainforest.

Centered in a close-up image of a stick insect is a yellowish-white engorged ectoparasitic fly (a species in the genus Forcipomyia) attached behind a prothorasic leg.

“Functional & decorative?” This #stick #insect (Order #Phasmatodea) from #RioQuijosEcolodge #Ecuador sports an impressive suit of spines on its green, red & yellow body. They look harmless, but maybe not be in a predator's mouth! An engorged #Ectoparasitic #Forcipomyia #fly isn’t bothered by them.

A long cream colored larva with a dark head. It has small setae some say along its back that are tipped with the sticky droplets

A long cream colored larva with a dark head. It has small setae some say along its back that are tipped with the sticky droplets

A small dark brown fly with fine golden hairs on it

I. LOVE. THESE. #FLIES. 🥰

If you like #chocolate, so should you! The genus #Forcipomyia (Ceratopogonidae) is the main pollinator of cacao. They're tiny & their larvae live in decaying plant matter. These have sticky droplets along their body for defence.

Costa Rica (August)