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Project Noah Nature School
Archytas sp.
Larger than a small horsefly. Glossy, jet black abdomen with gold highlights near the wings.
Other specimens online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcoin/29097... http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_qu... http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/diptera/Arc... http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/image/320... http://www.cirrusimage.com/flies_archyta... http://bugguide.net/node/view/265815
These are great flies to have around as they are natural enemies to many pest species. A quick article about them from my blog - http://network-green.org/tachinid-flies/...
Thanks for your help. I had never seen one of these guys before. He was clearly disoriented and was heading right for me - bounced off my pants leg and lumbered in a drunk manner on the pavement. I lived in the North Dallas area most of my life and this was my first encounter with this critter.
The tribe is very large and the flies look quite similar. The only way I was able to get a genus, let alone a species ID is I submitted detailed images with views of each side and top to BugGuide. It's ok not to have a genus or species ID. Sometimes it's just not possible.
Wow - you might be right. I'm going to take my ID off and look some more online. Since I saw it in person, I am remembering some details that was hard to capture w/o a macro lens, using an iPhone camera on a jittery fly. :)
I agree with Cindy, Tachinini Tribe ... From this image alone, I would say Archytas sp. (http://bugguide.net/node/view/21091)
Thanks for the ID suggestion! Following your lead, I believe I have narrowed it down to Cyzenis browni.
This is a difficult tribe to narrow to the genus without seeing fine details and a shot of the end of the abdomen.
Spotted on May 10, 2012
Submitted on Apr 26, 2012
+1
