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Photo#1483311
Fly Caught by Ambush Bug on Swamp Milkweed

Fly Caught by Ambush Bug on Swamp Milkweed
Junction City, 15 mi. SE, Flint Hills/Tall Grass Prairie/Geary County, Kansas, USA
August 26, 2017
When I saw this fly in an awkward pose on Asclepias incarnata last summer, I assumed it was caught by a crab spider. But when I magnified the photos I saw instead the muscular front leg of a Jagged Ambush Bug. (The 3rd photo shows the head & front leg of the predator.) The fly has an orange abdomen--but its little feet are white. Do these 3 photos indicate the species of fly? (I have been told Phymata are very hard to identify to species. Does the white color with rusty patches narrow down the species of the predator?)

Images of this individual: tag all
Fly Caught by Ambush Bug on Swamp Milkweed Fly Caught by Ambush Bug on Swamp Milkweed Fly Caught by Ambush Bug on Swamp Milkweed

Frassed
Moved from ID Request.

Could be male Musca autumnali
Could be male Musca autumnalis.

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