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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Acalyptratae" » Sciomyzoidea » Thick-headed Flies (Conopidae) » Conopinae » Physocephala » Physocephala tibialis
Photo#677974
Thread-waisted fly - Physocephala tibialis - male
Copyright © 2012 Michael Battenberg

Thread-waisted fly - Physocephala tibialis - Male
toronto- Wilket Creek, Southern Ontario, Ontario, Canada
July 21, 2012
Apparent mating behaviour.

Images of this individual: tag all
Thread-waisted fly - Physocephala tibialis Thread-waisted fly - Physocephala tibialis - male
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Contributed by Michael Battenberg on 22 July, 2012 - 12:29pm
Last updated 21 August, 2016 - 6:04pm

They're not mating...these are both males
Note that female conopids have a fairly conspicuous appendage attached to their 5th sternite called the theca (which is lacking in both the individuals above, which are thus males).

The are a surprising number of conopid posts where one individual is perched on top of another with both being males...and most folks who make such posts initially assume (erroneously) they're a mating pair. See the comments under the post below for lots(!) of info on distinguishing female Physocephala from males; mating position; and more:

 

BTW, your photo above is unique in that it's the only photo I've seen yet of one conopid on top of another where the head-to-tail orientation of the two is reversed.
… Aaron Schusteff, 21 August, 2016 - 6:03pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Conopinae.
… Aaron Schusteff, 29 December, 2013 - 2:08pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Ken Wolgemuth, 22 July, 2012 - 12:38pm login or register to post comments

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