Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#1600531
Fly - Megaselia scalaris

Fly - Megaselia scalaris
Pinellas County, Florida, USA
October 8, 2018
Size: 3.5mm exactly
Hi,
I need help ID-ing this fly. My pet tarantula suddenly died after two days of spasms and then flipping on its' back. It was perfectly healthy before that. I kept it's body in an enclosed plastic container in case a parasite emerged from it. Today about a dozen of these appeared in the enclosure. 18 days after the spider died.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Also any info. as to how they may have gotten in with the spider to begin with as these adults were trapped in it's enclosure and could not escape.
Thanks

Images of this individual: tag all
Fly - Megaselia scalaris Fly - Megaselia scalaris Fly - Megaselia scalaris

Moved
Moved from Scuttle Flies.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Phorid Fly…
See reference here.

 
Thanks guys!
-

Looks like a phorid
Some members of the family Phoridae are known to parasitize the eggs of spiders. They are not my speciality, so I don't know if they also parasitize adults ...

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.