Species Taeniaptera trivittata

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Range · Remarks · See Also · Works Cited

fly at the fish restaurant? - Taeniaptera trivittata

Stilt-legged Fly - Taeniaptera trivittata

Taeniaptera trivittata? - Taeniaptera trivittata

Is this a Taeniaptera trivittata or a Rainieria antennaepes? - Taeniaptera trivittata

Stilt-legged fly's interaction with ants - Taeniaptera trivittata

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Diptera (Flies)

No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")

Superfamily Nerioidea

Family Micropezidae (Stilt-legged Flies)

Subfamily Taeniapterinae

Genus Taeniaptera

Species trivittata (Taeniaptera trivittata)

Explanation of Names

Taeniaptera trivittata Macquart 1835

Size

body ~10 mm(1)

Range

e US (NY-FL to MI-TX)(2)

Remarks

Said to be ant mimics. Missouri Department of Conservation--Stilt-legged Flies:

"Taeniaptera trivittata has a nifty way of mimicking ants: the otherwise clear wings are marked with black dots to resemble an ant's body shape."

See Also

Rainieria antennaepes and the southern Calobatina geometra, which both look similar. They can be distinguished from photos as follows (Chris Angell):

Eyes: Taeniaptera sp. - maroon & striped; Rainieria antennaepes - bright red, unstriped; Calobatina geometra - dark, unstriped

Body shape: Taeniaptera sp. - less slender; Rainieria antennaepes - more slender; Calobatina geometra - more slender

Wing pattern: Taeniaptera sp. - a circular, bulls-eye like pattern; Rainieria antennaepes - a triangular dark spot; Calobatina geometra - usually unmarked, sometimes like R. antennaepes

Forelegs: Taeniaptera trivittata - first tarsomere dark, remaining tarsomeres light (apical tarsomere dark in the rare southern Taeniaptera lasciva); Rainieria antennaepes - first tarsomere white, sometimes with apical tarsomere dark; Calobatina geometra - first tarsomere white, last 2-3 tarsomeres dark

Works Cited

1.	American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.

2.	Thompson F.C., Pape T., Evenhuis N.L. (2013) Systema Dipterorum, Version 1.5

Contributed by Cotinis on 25 October, 2005 - 5:12am
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Joshua Stuart Rose, v belov, Chris Angell
Last updated 20 July, 2022 - 7:13am

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