I wonder if that constant airborne movement dissuades Beeflies?
Any #dipterists know?
One for @flygirlnhm.bsky.social and anyone on #beeflywatch (don’t know how many #dipterists have seen this but can’t face scrolling 1.5k followers!).
#diptera in art!
Also for any #dipterists !
@dipteristsforum.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social
Detailed dissection work that #dipterists do to identify a specimen.
Not sure how these are retained, loose in EtOH in vials?
A technique I used for other taxa in my MSc: drop of UV resin on a slide, arrange specs with a pin, add cover slide & expose to UV.
It’s easier with #ants on a point!
If any #Diptera #fly experts #Dipterists are out there who are familiar with the family #Bibionidae in tropical Asia please have a look at the comments under the following @inaturalist.bsky.social observation:
www.inaturalist.org/observations...
A dead fly sits on top of a cow parsley flower (Umbelliferae). Its body, particularly its abdomen bears a large number of spore-bearing fungal growths.
A live fly sits beside (and had crawled all over) a dead fly. Its body, particularly its abdomen bears a large number of spore-bearing fungal growths. The live fly kept returning to the dead one.
Hey #dipterists @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social I found this dead fly 🪰 on cow parsley in Cornwall with significant fungal growth but apparently gripped onto the flower.
Other flies seemed to be drawn to it. I don’t know if there was a scent lure? Is this a bit #thelastofus?
It's #TaxonomistAppreciationDay! Many thanks to Jack Neff who identifies our bees (and can sometimes be talked in to helping with wasps), the #Dipterists listserv, and the many professional and amateur beetle and lep enthusiasts who help my lab!