#microdon

[onenicebugperday]

Ant flies (adults and larvae) in the genus Microdon, Syrphidae

Ant flies are unique in the hover fly family in that they inhabit the nests of ants. The fly larvae are thought to either feed directly on ant larvae or scavenge within the nest. Adults may be nectar feeders, but are almost always found near ant nests rather than hovering near flowers like other Syrphid flies. There are approximately 250 species that have been described worldwide.

Photo 1 by vicentevaldesguzman, 2 by menz_the_magnificent, 3 by skitterbug 4 by franklinhowley, 5 by arctic_mongoose, 6 by clurarit, 7 by agabus1, 8-9 by cris-tzabcan, and 10 by kenw

Bonus: I can’t share the photo of this larva legally without asking permission from the photographer first, but it’s so weird and pretty I had to link it here.

[bowelfly]

finished this commission for someone on twitter. they requested a microdontine fly person so i went with Microdon piperi

[drhoz]

This beautiful little fly is Microdon amabilis, one of the Hover flies of the family Syrphidae.  It's very small, probably under 10mm. It can be seen ovipositing (egg laying) in and around an ants nest in the rotten timber of an old wooden bench in my backyard. The ants are Carpenter ants, Camponotus gasseri. The ants  seem a little uncomfortable about the flies presence. Not surprising given the larvae of  genus Microdon  will actually live within the ant nest feeding on the larvae and pupae of their ant host..

[drhoz]

Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon 

It parasitizes ants and its larvae are so strange that they had been confused with molluscs or conchillas. Music: Atlantis by Audionautix (http://audionautix.com)

[drhoz]

#1598 - Microdon sp. - Antfly pupa

Found by Katrina Forstner‎ on the trunk of a Stringybark eucalypt in Melbourne.

Microdontine hoverflies are myrmecophiles, living inside ant nests as larvae, where they barely resemble insects at all. In fact they were originally described as molluscs and scale insects. They’re dome-shaped, living deep inside the hosts nest, where some species eat ant larvae, and others scavenge. The adults are often hairy and bee-like, but unlike other hoverflies do not spend time around flowers, instead hovering around the nests of their chosen host species. Little is known about the biology of the 249 known species. 

[bowelfly]

found this super cool syrphid fly in the campus teaching collection. it looks like it might be an Osmia mason bee mimic, which blows my mind. unfortunately it didn’t have an ID or collection label, so my best guess is Microdon piperi, a nest parasite of carpenter ants in the pacific northwest

[jbonnel]

📽 Interview #EnCordée sur #BiTV avec @olivierkeuy #microDON où nous abordons ce que vient faire la #Blockchain dans la collecte de dons grâce à #BlockSY en direct du @mapicworld 👉 https://youtu.be/Ovv3KbVLy0k #MAPIC #MAPIC2019 #Retail #Solidaires #Innovation #Blockchain4Good #BlockchainForGood #TechForGood (à MAPIC) https://www.instagram.com/p/B41k17-I0yD/?igshid=1u5mdhj4t3asg

[polopirate]

TBT The Best of Times RIP MICRO #santospartyhaus #nightlife #microdon #tbt #throwbackthursday #hiphop #rap #reggae #polofanstyle #polorlstyle #beenthere_rockedthat #podcast #style #fashion #fashionblogger #styleblogger #streetwear #streetfashion #moda #estilo #mensfashion #womensfashion #quintaferia #thursday #nyc #polopirate #polopirata (at Santos Party House) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0WSjSiFl7v/?igshid=1327nxvu1oj1m