Clean Hoverfly. Yellow-clubbed Hoverfly, Scaeva selenitica, on Bellis perennis, Common Daisy, Westerpark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Watching insects such as Bees and Flies and Hoverflies you'll often see them use their legs to clean up their faces: eyes, and tongue and other parts. The reason for this is that their exoskeletons have many receptors or sensilla for touch and odor and even for measuring the speed of flight and to facilitate hearing (among them the so-called Johnston's Organ in the antennae). These need to be kept clean to function properly.
Compare this to you and me: we have e.g eyelids to keep our eyes moist and clean, a tongue to keep our lips in shape, etc. Our Hoverfly - Yellow-clubbed - hasn't got eyelids, and its tongue needs to be sensitive to pollen and nectar. Hence that 'legged'
cleaning activity.
Clean Hoverfly. Yellow-clubbed Hoverfly, Scaeva selenitica, on Bellis perennis, Common Daisy, Westerpark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Watching insects such as Bees and Flies and Hoverflies you'll often see them use their legs to clean up their faces: eyes, and tongue and other parts. The reason for this is that their exoskeletons have many receptors or sensilla for touch and odor and even for measuring the speed of flight and to facilitate hearing (among them the so-called Johnston's Organ in the antennae). These need to be kept clean to function properly.
Compare this to you and me: we have e.g eyelids to keep our eyes moist and clean, a tongue to keep our lips in shape, etc. Our Hoverfly - Yellow-clubbed - hasn't got eyelids, and its tongue needs to be sensitive to pollen and nectar. Hence that 'legged'
cleaning activity.