Air Superiority _TNY_6523
Flies belong to the order Diptera, a name derived from the greek "di" - two and "pteron" - wing. This as they, unlike bees and wasps and so on, only use a single pair of wings to fly. The other pair have evolved into the halteres - one on each side and this gorgeous Laphria flava hoverfly has helpfully marked these in bright yellow so you can see one next to the wing. These vibrate along with the wings and help the fly stabilize when flying.
This species is one of the largest flies in Sweden, reaching nearly 30 mm in body length and a fierce predator. They catch other flying insects mid-air (which demands a highly developed spatial perception) and kill it by punching their rostrum - that tubular thing on the face - into the victim and injecting it with a venom.
This was taken at 1:1 magnification, but for two closer shots of the same fly, look here (1.2:1): www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50274977853/ and here (2.7:1): www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50763372281/
Air Superiority _TNY_6523
Flies belong to the order Diptera, a name derived from the greek "di" - two and "pteron" - wing. This as they, unlike bees and wasps and so on, only use a single pair of wings to fly. The other pair have evolved into the halteres - one on each side and this gorgeous Laphria flava hoverfly has helpfully marked these in bright yellow so you can see one next to the wing. These vibrate along with the wings and help the fly stabilize when flying.
This species is one of the largest flies in Sweden, reaching nearly 30 mm in body length and a fierce predator. They catch other flying insects mid-air (which demands a highly developed spatial perception) and kill it by punching their rostrum - that tubular thing on the face - into the victim and injecting it with a venom.
This was taken at 1:1 magnification, but for two closer shots of the same fly, look here (1.2:1): www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50274977853/ and here (2.7:1): www.flickr.com/photos/tinyturtle/50763372281/