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Hello, a friend took the photo of what looked to me like a biting midge on a Cape river frog in the wild at Kleinmond in South Africa in spring this year. Google Earth location about -34.34, 19.00.

I assumed that it was Ceratopogonidae, of which we have plenty of local spp as far as I know. Whether this specimen has its mouthparts extended,or whether I just imagined that I saw a proboscis touching the frog, I don't know, but in either case I clearly was wrong and Stephane Lebrun kindly assisted me as he has done in the past.

Stephane's diagnosis is Ephydridae cf Hydrellia or a similar genus. This leaves me wondering about its biology, and whether it is a common visitor to frogs, or whether this observation is strictly adventitious.

Comments welcome, as always.

Jon

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Hello John, this is an Ephydridae (Hydrellia or close).

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Ephydridae, yes, but I don't think this is Hydrellia. The head shape is more like Ephydrinae, but after that, I'm a bit out of my depth with Afrotropical species.

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Thank you Tony.
I am intrigued by this observation and will ask my friend to try for more shots of his frogs.
It is very likely a totally adventitious observation, but you never know! :)

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Yes, I think in this case the fly considers the frog to be furniture or landscape!

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Thanks Tony :D
I have since seen another photo of the same fly, and it was clear that the apparent proboscis was just a bit of shadow split by the left front leg.
That settles that.
However, I will try to see whether I can visit the spot and see any signs of frequent fly activity about the frogs. It might be a challenging task though. becuse I know that species of frog, and they have nasty suspicious minds and prefer deepish water. :)