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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Orthorrhapha" (Brachycera excluding Aschiza and Schizophora) » Nemestrinoidea » Small-headed Flies (Acroceridae) » Pterodontia » Pterodontia flavipes
Photo#4871
Gymnosoma rotundatum? - Pterodontia flavipes
Copyright © 2004 Bonnie J. Caruthers

Gymnosoma rotundatum? - Pterodontia flavipes
Strafford, on Sassafras leaf, New Hampshire, USA
July 13, 2004
I was moving some sleeved lepidoptera to another branch and I always check for other insects and found this odd looking fly. Very skinny wings and round body (like a portly man with a too tight coat!). After some searching I came up with Gymnosoma rotundatum. What do you think? If it is I am glad I saw it and didn't sleeve it in with my leps!
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Contributed by Bonnie J. Caruthers on 15 July, 2004 - 1:04pm
Last updated 20 June, 2006 - 7:27am

Pterodontia flavipes Gray
This is a fairly rare acrocerid fly. It is the genus Pterodontia, and the species is P. flavipes Gray. This species is widespread in the USA but rare.
… Norm Woodley, 1 June, 2006 - 9:50am login or register to post comments

 
Moved
to new species page
… Chuck Entz, 20 June, 2006 - 7:28am login or register to post comments

spider parasites
I did some collecting earlier this year at the Fort Worth Nature center. I brough back a pretty Sassicus spider, and several days later, she was dead and a grey, stripey-patterned small-headed fly was in her place! The fly larvae must have taken up all the space inside the spider towards the end, because the emergent fly was bigger than the spider was!
S. Gingras
… Stacey Gingras, 13 December, 2004 - 2:30pm login or register to post comments

New ID ?
Now that we know it's not Tachinid Gymnosoma, do we have a new ID, genus, maybe?
… john and jane balaban, 12 September, 2004 - 5:06pm login or register to post comments

Acrocerid fly
This is a small-headed fly in the family Acroceridae. They are parasitic on spiders. Not terribly common, or at least not frequently observed. Without a few different shots, impossible to identify to genus.
… Eric R. Eaton, 16 July, 2004 - 11:48am login or register to post comments

 
Another photo
Hi Eric,

thanks for that! I did a google search and definitely agree. I don't know how to load numerous photos here without starting a new request each time. I uploaded about 10 more onto Webshots. They are not the best but it shows a lot more. He is an odd little fellow. Ends up on his back a lot and just spins around! LOL!

here's the link:http://community.webshots.com/user/13lele
… Bonnie J. Caruthers, 16 July, 2004 - 1:12pm login or register to post comments

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