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Black and blue Soldier fly

Family Stratiomyidae, Raphiocera sp.

Description:

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?

Notes:

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.

1 Species ID Suggestions

aaronarcade
aaronarcade 11 years ago
Blue Soldier Fly
Diptera stratiomyidae


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8 Comments

Sergio Monteiro
Sergio Monteiro 10 years ago

Obrigado, João.

João Burini
João Burini 10 years ago

Na página do instituto rã bugio tem uma Raphiocera bem parecida, mas tem uns outros gêneros com essa cara

João Burini
João Burini 10 years ago

Um nível abaixo é Raphiocerinae.

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 11 years ago

So few things are blue, you should put it in the Color Blue mission!?!

LaurenZarate
LaurenZarate 11 years ago

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.

Gerardo Aizpuru
Gerardo Aizpuru 11 years ago

Wow another incredible creature very cool Sergio :)

Sergio Monteiro
Sergio Monteiro 11 years ago

Thanks a lot, BugEric. It really deserves to be in a book cover, I think.

BugEric
BugEric 11 years ago

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.

Sergio Monteiro
Spotted by
Sergio Monteiro

Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil

Spotted on Dec 3, 2012
Submitted on Dec 3, 2012

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Reference

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