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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Aschiza" » Hover Flies (Syrphidae) » Microdontinae » Microdon » subgenus Microdon (Microdon subgenus Microdon) » Microdon tristis
Photo#117580
syrphid - Microdon tristis
Copyright © 2007 tom murray

syrphid - Microdon tristis
Lunenburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
June 10, 2007
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Contributed by tom murray on 11 June, 2007 - 8:56pm
Last updated 18 June, 2007 - 7:29am

A dead willow, carpenter ants and Microdon.
I believe I have come across a number of Microdon specimens. See here and here. The flies show up/emerge each year from a willow stump inhabited by a colony of carpenter ants. The stump is on the north boundary of my property. By my reckoning, the flies emerge the last week in May and keep doing so until the second week in June.

:-P)
… Phil Huntley-Franck, 13 August, 2009 - 4:01pm login or register to post comments

Un-fly like
While I know it's a fly (by all means, I know it's a fly), that has to be one of the most bee-like flies I've ever seen! :D
… Jonas Insinga, 27 February, 2008 - 10:52pm login or register to post comments

Identified by Gary Alpert
from the picture. These live with carpenter ants.
… tom murray, 18 June, 2007 - 7:29am login or register to post comments

Wonderful
Damn I want to find another one of these. There is a Harvard Ento who is doing DNA work on these and wants specimens in alcohol Tom. He may contact you.
… Herschel Raney, 11 June, 2007 - 10:25pm login or register to post comments

 
Gary Alpert
has contacted me, but I wasn't able to catch this one before it flew off. I hope to find more, and help him out. Thanks Hershel.
… tom murray, 12 June, 2007 - 5:10am login or register to post comments

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