Numbers
Nearctica.com lists approx. 147 species.
Arnett p. 881, lists 150 species.
(1)Identification
Similar to Empis, but with different wing venation. See comments under photos.
Range
Much of North America. More than a dozen species in the eastern United States.
Habitat
Moist areas, along edges of fresh (and salt?) water.
Season
March-June (various species, North Carolina), May-June (Minnesota)
Food
Adults prey on other insects.
Life Cycle
Famous, among other genera of this family, for forming mating swarms. Males capture a small insect and offer it as a nuptial gift to a female. Larvae predaceous, live in soil, decaying wood, vegetation, or are aquatic. (This statement applies to whole family--the references are not specific by genus.)
Remarks
Genus name from rampho Greek "beak" plus myia Greek "fly" or "bug". (This is based on Internet searches.)
Print References
Arnett p. 881, fig. 29.36
(1)
Swan and Papp, pp. 616-617, fig. 1321
(3)
Marshall, color photographs of
Rhamphomyia longicauda--460.4 (female), 460.5 (male)
(4)Internet References
North Carolina State University lists about 16 species for that state.
Contributed by
Cotinis on 8 December, 2004 - 2:00pm
Last updated 4 November, 2006 - 9:25pm
