Flower Fly (Ocyptamus fuscipennis)

About the only information I could find on this little Syrphid fly was that it is a beneficial insect. It's larvae are aphid predators. Females lay their eggs in aphid colonies. A BugGuide image shows a female ovipositing on an aphid.

BugGuide: Species Ocyptamus fuscipennis
BugGuide: Genus Ocyptamus

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Flower Fly (Ocyptamus fuscipennis)

Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes)

Identification:  About the size of a large housefly.  Thorax is mostly black.  Abdomen is bright orange.  Has a fringe of comb-like black hairs on rear legs.  Smokey wings.  The wings of males have a darker area.  The abdomen tip of females is black.

Range:  Native to North America and found in most areas.

Food:  Adults feed on nectar.  Larva are parasites of certain true bugs, primarily squash bugs and stink bugs.

Habitat:  Found wherever crops that will attract its host species are growing.  Often hovers over squash plants searching for prey.  (BugGuide Species Page)


Life Cycle:  The female fly lays one to many small, white or gray, oval eggs on large nymphs or adult bugs. The larvae burrow from the egg directly into the bug's body. Only one larva survives within each pest bug. A large, cream-colored maggot exits from the body of the bug, drops to the ground, and pupates in a dark reddish-brown, capsule-like puparium. The bug soon dies.  A new generation of adult flies emerges to lay eggs about two weeks later. Each female fly may lay several hundred eggs, and there may be three generations each year, depending on location. The parasitoid overwinters as a larva within the body of the overwintering bug, emerging in late spring or early summer.  (Cornell University ... site also includes photos of several life cycle stages)

Remarks:  T. pennipes appears to have different biotypes across the country, preying on very specific hosts in different regions. (Cirrus Images)

The stinkbug "stink" that repels many predators, seems to attract T. pennipes.

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Feather-legged Fly (Trichopoda pennipes)

Robber Fly (Ommatius ouachitensis)

All Robber Flies (Family Asilidae) are predators. They capture prey and inject neurotoxins to immobilize. After also injecting digestive enzymes, they suck out the liquidized innards of their prey, leaving little remaining except for an exoskeleton.

Members of genus Ommatius are easily identified because they are the only North American species with feathery antennae, although these are difficult to see without binoculars or in a photo. You can see the fuzzy moth-like branching of the antennae in the enlarged versions of these photos.

Species identication within this genus is much more difficult, especially for females like the one I photographed, because Ommatius is currently separated into species by characteristics of the male genitalia. On his website, Norm Lavers does note that black on the hind femur takes up more than 25% of the length in O. ouachitensis. The ID I received for this specimen on BugGuide was tentative as are most of the other IDs I found online. Therefore, I will say that this Robber Fly is definitely a member of genus Ommatius and probably an O. ouachitensis.

I photographed this specimen during the late afternoon in a small clearing behind our garden. Becoming most active as dusk approaches seems typical for this species. They perch in open locations waiting to ambush a passing insect. Typical perches are bare twigs, fence wire or, in this particular case, the straw in my mug of water. I've found O. ouachitensis relatively easy to photograph because they tend to remain perched and are not easily disturbed. I've even watched through my camera's viewfinder as one of these Robber Flies suddenly left and then returned to the same location with an insect a second or so later.

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Robber Fly (Ommatius ouachitensis)

Wasp Mimic Flower Fly (Spilomyia alcimus)

Wasp Mimic Flower Fly

(Spilomyia alcimus)

Range: Wisconsin to Newfoundland, and south to Mississippi and Florida. (1)

Size: 15-18 mm ... around 5/8". (1)

Habitat: Open areas with flowers near forests. (2)

Food: Adults take pollen and/or nectar from various flowers. (2)

Identification: Yellow pigment pattern on eyes ... "V" mark on thorax (scutum, in front of scutellum) ... short antennae. (Short antennae are almost always the quickest way to know you are observing a fly and not a wasp.) (2)

Remarks: A very convincing wasp mimic: The yellow pattern on the eyes of S. alcimus helps disguise its "fly eyes". Observers report this species often rests on its four posterior legs and waves it black front legs mimicking the antennae movement of a wasp. (2)

Comments: This specimen was photographed "feeding" on the outside of a plastic watering can. There was no water on the outside of the can, but there was a dried residue of fish emulsion. I assume this attracted the fly to the watering jug.

 Sources and additional information:

(1) BugGuide Species Page
(2) BugGuide Genus Page.
(3) Field Guide to the Flower Flies of Ontario (Pinned images with identification characteristics.)

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Wasp Mimic Flower Fly (Spilomyia alcimus)

Tachinid Fly (Genus Peleteria)

In general, most tachinid flies are relatively large and bristly.  They often mimic wasp or bees.













Adult tachinids feed on pollen and nectar.  Larvae are parasites, preying on other insects -- often caterpillars.  Most tachinids deposit their eggs directly on the body of their host, and it is not uncommon to see caterpillars with several tachinid eggs on them. Upon hatching the larva usually burrows into its host and feeds internally. When fully developed it leaves the host and pupates nearby.   Larvae of Genus Peleteria prey Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).








There are 1,345 species in 303 genera of tachinid flies in North America.  They can be found practically anywhere and everywhere. Tachinids are often abundant on sunny hilltops looking for mates.









Information source:  BugGuide

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Tachinid Fly (Genus Peleteria)