HangingFly

[Sparky]

The wingless hangingfly Apterobittacus is a predatory insect in California grasslands.

Here are portraits of winged hangingflies.

Hangingflies are predators of other insects. This hangingfly has caught a caterpillar.

Hangingflies are generalist predators of other insects. Here a male carpenter ant has fallen prey and is being held by the long, grasping hind tarsi of the predator.

I would love to have these for pets. I think they would make great pets actually.

Photos provided by:

Alex Wild

http://www.myrmecos.net

These images is copyrighted by the photographer and cannot be used without permission. To obtain permission to use this image, please email Alex Wild. (alwild (at) myrmecos.net). Most of the photographs on myrmecos.net are reduced from their original size and compressed for more efficient web transmission. In some cases, higher quality versions are available.

This image was captured with a Canon EOS D60, with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens.

 

[john_jb1]

Woah! they look cool!! Could make good pets, would be interesting to watch!

-john_jb1-

 

[Sparky]

aw cmon no more comments? I'm sure you guys must loves these things. Just look at it in the last picture! Isn't that cool at all? I think it is.

 

[JT]

is that seriously what they do, ? just hang there all day ? got any pics of one actually eating?

 

[ismart]

I saw one of those in my yard the other day it was eating a hornet, i went to grab a net and buy the time i came back it was gone i was to slow.

 

[Morpheus uk]

mAY BE INTERESTING PETS I SUPPOSE IF THEY WERE LARGE, HOW BIG R THEY?

 

[Rob Byatt]

Absolutely stunning photography ! And I agree, these flies are very interesting. I've never actually seen one up close in the field.

 

[Sparky]

is that seriously what they do, ? just hang there all day ? got any pics of one actually eating?

I didn't take the picture, don't tell me. I put a link right there under the last picture if you haven't notice.

 

[ismart]

The one i saw was about maybe a little over an inch, well at least it's body it's leggs are long i thougt it was a crane fly, but closer inspection revealed the wasp in it's grasp. I never saw one of those before. I'm going to keep looking in the area i found it if i'm lucky maybe i'll stumble across another one, this time i will have my net ready.

 

[Sparky]

Hangingflies eating

Like a mantis, they chew.

 

[robo mantis]

I caught a freaky thing its like weird shaped can fly and has 1 mantis claw (i think other claw broke off).

 

[Morpheus uk]

Maybe a mantis fly?

Smart lookin things, read somewhere in a book that thier larvae are parasitic, but it was the same book that said whip scorpions got thier name from the way they dangle in mid air from silk in a whip shape :roll:

 

[robo mantis]

no it doesn't look like a wasp.

 

[AFK]

ambush bug?

please describe the shape, size, behavior, etc.