#cactus fly

[onenicebugperday]

@nulook4summa submitted: hello could u pls identify perhaps the fanciest person I’ve ever met? seen here on unceded Gullibul Country (nsw northern rivers, australia)

Lollll love this little dude! Looks so angry in the second pic. Looks like Derocephalus angusticollis, which is a type of cactus fly! Not sure why they're called that specifically since they feed and breed on a wide range of rotting plant matter :)

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Family: Neriidae (Stilt-legged Flies)

Also known as cactus flies or banana stalk flies, Stilt-legged flies are a family of nerioid flies that can be found worldwide, but are found mainly in tropical regions. Many species of stilt-legged flies are sexually dimorphic with males having much longer legs and antennae than females. Most Neriid flies are saprophagous (feeding on decaying organic matter), with larvae developing in rotting vegetable matter. Adults tend to aggregate on rotting matter and damaged tree trunks. 

Classification

Animalia-Arthropoda-Insecta-Diptera-Brachycera-Nerioidea-Neriidae

Images: Jeevan Jose and L. Shyamal