Ulidiidae
Many species of flies use their wings for communication. This Ulidiid sports both pigmented spots- visible in the wing silhouetted by the flower petal- and rainbow reflections, visible in the wing against the dark background. MacLaughlin UC Reserve, California, USA
Delphinia picta
The strikingly-colored Delphinia picta is one of the most common picture-winged flies in North America. Austin, Texas, USA.
Rhagoletis
Rhagoletis walnut flies, mating. Arizona, USA
In a laboratory cage, two male Rhagoletis walnut flies joust over access to females. University of Arizona. filename: Rhagoletis8
Austrotephritis pelia
This fruit fly species is common on asters across much of Australia. Yandoit, Victoria, Australia
Neotephritis finalis
Sunflower seed maggot flies mating on an Engelmann daisy, one of this common species' many host plants. Austin, Texas, USA.
Sunflower seed maggot fly on a Wyethia leaf. California, USA.
Parastenopa limata
This colorful fruit fly is one of many species whose wings mimic jumping spiders. The patterns are thought to dissuade real jumpting spiders, which normally avoid each other, from getting too close. Austin, Texas, USA.
The wings of this fruit fly mimic jumping spiders. Austin, Texas, USA.
Xanthaciura
Xanthaciura is a small fruit fly specializing on mistflower. Austin, Texas, USA.
New spring goldenrod grows alongside an old stem gall in an Illinois meadow. The gall is made by a fruit fly, Eurosta solidaginis, which induces the plant to produce a protective structure around the developing larva. Urbana, Illinois, USA
Goldenrod stem galls of the fruit fly, Eurosta solidaginis. Urbana, Illinois, USA
Boreothrinax maculipennis
Portrait of a Pyrgotid fly. Many true flies, like butterflies, have species-specific patterns on their wings. Austin, Texas, USA.
Portrait of a Pyrgotid fly. Austin, Texas, USA.
Prochyliza xanthostoma
A waltzing fly. Urbana, Illinois, USA
A female waltzing fly considers a mate. Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Platystomatidae
A signal fly feeds from a recent bird dropping on an understory leaf. Cayó District, Belize.
Richardia
A richardiid fly feeds from a dead caterpillar in an Ecuadorian cloud forest. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Gamboa, Panama.
Richardia sp.
Up close with a hammerhead fly. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Up close with a male hammerhead fly. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Competition among flies that size each other up by gauging the width of fly heads has evolved bizarre results in the Neotropical genus Richardia, the hammerhead flies. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.
Glyphodera
A stilt-legged fly. Kibale Forest, Uganda.
Micropezidae
Stilt-legged fly. Peru.
Rainieria antennaepes
A distinctly ant-like micropezid fly feeds from an old bird dropping in a midwestern forest. Urbana, Illinois, USA.
A tropical stilt-legged fly feeds from bird droppings. Cayo District, Belize.
Odontoloxozus longicornis
The longhorn cactus fly is common in the warm deserts of southwestern North America. The larvae breed in rotting cacti. Austin, Texas, USA.
Nerius sp.
Portrait of a banana fly, Nerius sp. Refugio Amazonas, Tambopata, Peru.
Willistoniella sp.
A tropical fly in the family Ropalomeridae gathers nutrients from the sweaty skin of the photographer. Refugio Amazonas, Tambopata, Peru.
Sepsis
Sepsid flies signal to eath other in a mating aggregation. Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.
A black scavenger fly oviposits into cow manure. Arizona, USA.
Diopsidae
Stalk-Eyed Fly. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Stalk-eyed fly. Kibale Forest, Uganda
Loxocera cylindrica
A pair of mating rust flies. Urbana, Illinois, USA
Gymnochiromyia sp.
The small, pale flies of the family Chyromyidae are rarely seen, and little is known of their biology. Austin, Texas, USA. (Thanks to Terry Wheeler for the identification).
Minettia flaveola
A Lauxaniid fly from California.
