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Family Stratiomyidae, Raphiocera sp.
Large blue and black fly, around 1,5 cm (half an inch) long. The tip of the wings is crumpled. Maybe it has just molted, and is inflating its wings?
Soldier flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) are true flies that resemble wasps in their appearance and behavior. These flies do not bite or sting. Adult flies are often found on flowers and vary in color from black, metallic blue, green or purple, to brightly colored black and yellow patterns. You can tell that they are flies and not wasps because flies have just two wings, unlike wasps that have four wings. When at rest, the wings are folded scissor-like across their abdomens.
Na página do instituto rã bugio tem uma Raphiocera bem parecida, mas tem uns outros gêneros com essa cara
Very neat. I wonder what kind of mimetic thing could be going on here with BLUE! Weird. Can't think of any reason for the blue.
Thanks a lot, BugEric. It really deserves to be in a book cover, I think.
Soldier fly, family Stratiomyidae. I swear, this fly is on the cover of a book on flies of Costa Rica or something.....That's where I've seen it before, anyway.