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Project Noah Nature School
Agulla sp.
Black, long-necked insect with brown near the mouth and a patch on the edge of the wings. "Adult snakeflies are characterized by having an elongate prothorax but no modification of the forelegs (as in Mantispidae). They have strong and relatively unspecialised mouthparts, and large compound eyes. Some species also have ocelli. The females typically have a long ovipositor, which they use to deposit their eggs into crevices in bark or rotting wood. The wings are similar in size, with a primitive venation pattern, and a thickened costal margin (or "pterostigma")." - Wikipedia
It flew in my daughters hair when sitting on the deck in the backyard then it fell on her shirt before quickly flying away.
Snakeflies are one of only two groups of insects than can run backwards at full speed.
Spotted on Apr 7, 2012
Submitted on Apr 8, 2012
8 Comments
cool!
Good call oxyjack. Will do.
I just noticed you called it a fly in your description. You should probably change that to "insect", since it's not a true fly (in the Order Diptera). It's one if the nerve-winged insects (Order Neuroptera), which includes things like lacewings, mantisflies and dobsonflies.
This was my first time noticing them. No doubt it's due to PN!
We have a lot of nice snakeflies in California. I've seen them in my yard in Oakland.
What an interesting thing. Love the dragon story...kids!
Thanks Leuba! I hadn't heard of them either before PN. I was looking at another spotting of one with my daughter one day and she commented that it looked like a dragon (she's a dragon lover). When this fly landed in her hair, she freaked until I told her it was the dragon. She stopped moving and let me take photo's :)
Great spotting CBK, especially as it's something I've never heard of - thanks for the information too..