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- This page contains pictures and information about Stilt-legged Flies
in family Micropezidae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
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- Flies in this family have very long legs, although the front pair is
obviously shorter. Their body is elongated with patterned wings. Most are
medium in size. They usually mimic
either wasps or ants
in the body shape. Their behaviour mimic those wasps and ants as well. They
wave their fore legs in front of head when resting on plants.
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- Some species adults are attacked to human dung and some inhabit
flowers.
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- Not much is known about the larvae life. It is known in general that they live in decaying wood and other plants
matter underground.
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- Black Stilt-legged Fly
 - Mimegralla australica, body length 12mm
- This fly was found near a small pond in Yugarapul Park. It was walking
around on a large leaf seems looking for something. It kept flicking its wings
and front pair of legs, trying to convince us that it were a black
wasp or ichneumonid wasp. Please
check this page for more information.
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- Orange Stilt-legged Fly
 - Metopochetus (Crus) freyi, body length
10mm
- Pictures were taken on
grasses. Its wing patterns look like an ant's narrow waist and abdomen. The
fly walked like an ant too, sometime with jumping action. It might try to
mimic the Jumper Ant. Please
check this page for more information.
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- Reference:
- 1. Flies
- family Micropezidae - lifeunseen.com,
by Nick Monaghan.
- 2. Mimegralla australica - Insects of Townsville, Australia - Graeme Cocks, 2004.
- 3. Insects
of Australia - CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University
Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p771.
- 4. Review of the Australian stilt flies (Diptera : Micropezidae) with a phylogenetic analysis of the family - David K. McAlpine, 1998, Invertebrate Taxonomy 12(1) 55 - 134.
- 5. Family MICROPEZIDAE
- Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory.
- 6. Northern
Territory Insects, A Comprehensive Guide CD - Graham Brown, 2009.
- 7. On
the Fly, The Interactive Atlas and Key to Australian Fly Families CD Rom
- Hamilton, J. et al. 2006. Brisbane : CBIT & ABRS.
[ Up ] [ Sepsidae ] [ Lauxaniidae ] [ Micropezidae ] [ Agriomyzidae ] [ Milichiidae & Chloropidae ] [ Platystomatidae ] [ Pyrgotidae ] [ Tephritidae ] [ Ephydridae ] [ Drosophilidae ] [ Unknown Acalyptrata Flies ]
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