Not An Ant...
This little insect is Taeniaptera trivittata, a species of 'Stilt-legged flies' and in the family of 'True Flies'. I spotted her on a broad leaf plant in our backyard. Her favorite foods consist of all things rotten, such as rotting plant material, decaying fungi and manure. And her claim to fame is the cool way that she mimics an ant. Her clear wings are marked with black dots to resemble an ant's body shape. And I just love those white front feet! In fact I was fooled at first and believed her to be an ant, until she walked to the edge of the leaf and 'jumped'. It took me a moment to realize that she actually 'flew' off of the leaf, not jumped. This is my first time photographing and identifying this tiny creature. Yea! m
Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.