Thick-headed Fly

[Geoff F]

Something which I haven't seen previously.



Physocephala rufipes (Thick-headed Fly). They have an unusual lifestyle where they lay an egg on the back of a bumblebee and it then lives as a parasite inside the bee!

Managed a couple of rather distant shots from behind but as soon as I tried for a different angle it was away.

And a cranefly (Tipula maxima) with extra 'passengers'.



But in this case, those red mites don't actually harm the host. They just use it for free transport. Being so 'front end heavy' must make flying a bit difficult though.

Another shot taken through a small 'hole' in the foliage where I couldn't quite get what I was after.

[marlunn]

good shots, I have a shot just like that of the cranefly with the mites, love the Thick-headed fly photo, very interesting.

[Marie Hass]

Geoff,

That fly is the stuff of nightmares. You will have to catch one and do shots that showcase that head - and eyes. Or...maybe not.

I do not mean you to think I am dumb, but is the Crane Fly in the same family ( or is it the same thing) as a mosquito hawk? It has the same look. Is it missing some legs?

Marie

[Shadowman]

Nice finds and images.

[bnnrcn]

Very interesting insect with a thick head and very interesting type of transportation ! Thanks for sharing . Did #2 lose some of its legs ? I especially like #1

[deetheturk]

Great captures Geoff, love the wings on the Cranefly, they almost look cammo

[Bobobird]

Woooo certain alienish look to it. Nice catch.

[Suzan J]

Thanks for sharing these interesting, but slightly creepy, bug shots. I am both drawn and repelled by the little creatures. I would have had no clue that the red dots were mites. Certainly adds to the "ick" factor.

[nikon66]

Never seen, well captured.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for comments.

I will keep a special look out for that Thick-headed fly to see if I can find some alternative angles; providing it stays around the same area.

Not really sure about the cranefly legs. That was part of the camera angle problems; with too much getting hidden by dark leaves. And I was twisting everything around to get even this angle. Originally, only part of the fly was visible. But, that is macro photography for you!

And a bit of technical stuff.

The Thick-headed fly is part of the Conopidae family which includes several wasp like flies. It is a bit of a complicated family and apart from the reproduction method is loosely along the lines of some hoverflies. A rather strange group all round.

Craneflies are very similar to the Mosquitoes and a few other long legged flies but have their own large and complex family of Tipulidae with a considerable number of species just within the UK.

That one, Tipula maxima, is the largest UK species; and one of the few which are relatively easy to identify.