This rather plump
Zelia was hanging very closely about a dead stump (a plum) in my yard. (An advantage of not having a neat yard and neighbors who are not fussy--interesting insects.) Possibly this was a female looking for whatever its host is. Size estimated.
My guess is this is indeed Z. vertebrata, and that this was a female looking for a host: Brimley, p. 367
(1), states that
Zelia vertebrata parasitizes the "Betsy Beetle (Passalus cornutus)", which is now called
Odontoaenius disjunctus.
The standing, decaying stump this fly was frequenting is a good habitat for the likely host beetle--abundant in my yard.
Contributed by
Cotinis on 26 June, 2006 - 11:25am
Last updated 17 September, 2015 - 9:17pm