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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Xylophagidae » Rachicerus » Rachicerus obscuripennis
Photo#59245
Xylophagid flies mating - Rachicerus obscuripennis - male - female
Copyright © 2006 Cotinis

Xylophagid flies mating - Rachicerus obscuripennis - Male Female
Fews Ford, Eno River State Park, Orange County, North Carolina, USA
June 18, 2006
Size: 12 mm
Thes flies were hyperkinetic, scurrying along the ground, apparently trying to take off while coupled. As they got close, they would try to climb my leg. Size estimated. See comments on identification--thanks. These are possibly Rachicerus fulvicollis, since that is the only species listed at North Carolina State University. What are probably the details of that very specimen are listed by Brimley, p. 329, noting it from Raleigh (about 30 miles from the site of this photo) in June (1).
Update. Identified below as R. obscuripennis.

Size estimated at about 12 mm for the female.

Images of this individual: tag all
Xylophagid flies mating - Rachicerus obscuripennis - male - female Xylophagid flies--detail of antennae - Rachicerus obscuripennis - male - female Xylophagid fly--wing venation - Rachicerus obscuripennis - female
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Contributed by Cotinis on 22 June, 2006 - 12:01pm
Last updated 19 September, 2008 - 7:49am

Moved
Moved from Rachicerus. See comments below giving ID as obscuripennis. Many thanks, Miles!
… Cotinis, 17 September, 2008 - 11:49pm login or register to post comments

Xylo
You can see on the male the multisegmented antenna with the moth-like serrations. Close up please.
… Herschel Raney, 23 June, 2006 - 5:58pm login or register to post comments

 
You asked for it...
You got it--a detail of antennae:

They are really something--not what I normally expect of dipteran antennae.
… Cotinis, 26 June, 2006 - 10:06am login or register to post comments

 
The pectinate antennae would
The pectinate antennae would make it R.obscuripennis
… Miles Zhang, 17 September, 2008 - 8:16pm login or register to post comments

They look like
genus Rachicerus in family Xylophagidae - Chen
… Chen Young, 23 June, 2006 - 8:20am login or register to post comments

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