PJ Fly - Zelia vertebrata - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Calyptratae » Oestroidea » Parasitic Flies (Tachinidae) » Dexiinae » Dexiini » Zelia » resembling vertebrata (Zelia resembling vertebrata) » Zelia vertebrata

Photo#33127

Copyright © 2005 Herschel Raney

PJ Fly - Zelia vertebrata -

Petit Jean State Park, Seven Hollows Trail, Conway County, Arkansas, USA
September 26, 2005
Size: 12-14mm

Very unusual flies. There were several on a pine trunk. And they were making flight loops out and landing head down on the trunk over and over. Very similar to some large flies that fell out of the treetops in a mini-battle in the same area this summer. They may be Tachinid flies but the tapering abdomen is odd and these are very long-legged flies. I still, unfortunately, have a large vacuum of Tachinid info to fill.

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Contributed by Herschel Raney on 28 September, 2005 - 10:05pm
Last updated 5 September, 2016 - 8:21pm

Moved

Moved from Zelia.

… John F. Carr, 5 September, 2016 - 8:21pm

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Zelia

I now have the catalog and there are only three widespread eastern species in this genus which might occur in my state. Z. tricolor, vertebrata and zonata. Which it is, I am not sure.

… Herschel Raney, 20 January, 2006 - 7:01pm

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Probably vertebrata

Probably Zelia vertebrata.

… John F. Carr, 5 September, 2016 - 4:51pm

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Tachinid, likely Zelia

Look at what people think to be Zelia. This one seems to have the same posture:

That looks like it, of course, there are tons of tachinids.

Patrick Coin
Durham, North Carolina

… Cotinis, 28 September, 2005 - 10:15pm

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Zelia

Easily the same genus. I was totally amazed at the two that fell from the treetops this summer. I could hear the long legs banging around as they tussled. Both 15mm long. Both broke when I loomed with my camera. These two were on the bottom portion of the tree trunk. One small, one large.

That is it, I am ordering the Tachi catalog today. And we will go from 'tons' to an eastern list. And still don't have the new NA spider catalog. Now 6 weeks late.

… Herschel Raney, 29 September, 2005 - 7:30am

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