Diseased Flies - BugGuide.Net

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Copyright © 2005 Lynette Elliott

Diseased Flies

Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina, USA
April 22, 2004

Now this was strange. These flies were all over this plant...20 or 30 of them. They were there for at least a couple of days....then all died there. They were all just shriveled up and stuck there. I have no idea why.

Contributed by Lynette Elliott on 27 February, 2005 - 8:37am
Last updated 8 May, 2008 - 9:24am

Hello Lynette, Those flies w

Hello Lynette,
Those flies were probably infected with a fungus that lives on insects, like Entomophora sp.
They interfere with the flies behaviour, in such a way that the fly goes to the tip of a branch or leaf, and dies there.
The fungus matures and spreads its spores!
greetings

… Gerard Pennards, 27 February, 2005 - 5:07pm

By the way...

They probably are Anthomyiidae.

Paul

http://www.diptera.info

… Paul Beuk, 28 February, 2005 - 1:34pm

very interesting

A little more reading at http://homepage.eircom.net/~hedgerow7/entomophthora.htm.

… Lynette Elliott, 28 February, 2005 - 5:43am

Entomophthora

Just in case you want to search the web, Gerard's message had a typo. It should be Entomophthora.

Paul

http://www.diptera.info

… Paul Beuk, 28 February, 2005 - 3:03am

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