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Pain in the Neck - _TNY_1532

You know how annoying it is with an itch that you can't scratch? Imagin what this female thick-legged hoverfly (Syritta pipiens), also known as the compost hoverfly, must be going through.

 

The red blob is some sort of velvet mite (Trombidiidae) which had managed to attach itself to the neck of the fly.

 

Besides the fate of the poor fly, do you think this very symmetrical shot would be better or worse if the mite hadn't been at an angle? I'm leaning towards it breaking the symmetry being a good thing myself.

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Uploaded on February 16, 2022
Taken on August 15, 2019