Posted by Sundew on 13-05-2008 00:01
#1
Hi,
Yesterday I watched a small grey fly with somewhat shadowed wing crossveins sitting on a leaf in the late afternoon. I guess it might be a
Coenosia. The fly stretched its proboscis out and retracted it many times (it looked as if it was doing gymnastics), then it produced a bubble of orange fluid and sucked it in again after a short time. Afterwards it went on with proboscis stretching, and I waited for another bubble to come, but the fly got disturbed and left. - The repeated stretching of the proboscis might be a sort of pumping to bring the fluid up. Its short exposure would not allow for heating (the sun was already gone) or any special chemical reaction, I suppose.
Can you confirm
Coenosia? Thanks,
Sundew
Posted by Gordon on 13-05-2008 05:45
#2
Interesting pictures, I am sure the same fly is here in my reserve in Northern Greece, but I am only in the first school of diptera and can not help with the ID.
Gordon
Posted by Stephane Lebrun on 14-05-2008 22:18
#3
Not
Coenosia, I think is's an Anthomyiid.