Nov 11, 2020
Bug of the Day
This odd-looking fly emerged from the leaf litter when I set up my moth light last week. I recognized it as a Hippoboscid (louse fly) but wasn’t sure what it could be - turns out there is only one option: a deer ked, Lipoptena cervi. The deer ked, native to Eurasia, is a type of biting fly that attack deer and other cervids.
Posting this photo in an insect group on Facebook revealed a few other folks that have been seeing these flies lately. It’s likely folks that is related to it being deer mating season around here. Be sure to watch the creepy video of it climbing up one of the ropes that holds up the sheet. It reminds me of a beefy, top-heavy weightlifter :-).