Bee Fly (Bombyliidae, Diptera) - probably Geminaria canalis
This is another photo of a remarkable Bee Fly (order Bombyliidae, Diptera) - probably Geminaria canalis. It has a long sharp proboscis and it's built like a jet plane. What's most remarkable are those dark "eye spots" on its back that reflect light just like Jumping Spider (Salticidae) eyes. Is that camouflage for when it's digging into a flower with its butt in the air? See my [Previous] photo and this one for more photos of this remarkable fly.
This one is perched on a composite flower (Asteraceae) that I can't identify yet. It's a subshrub that grows near rock outcrops in the desert that reminds me of our summer-flowering California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia) at home, though that one is not reported here. HFDF! (Alabama Hills, Owens Valley, Inyo County, California, 1 May 2015)
Bee Fly (Bombyliidae, Diptera) - probably Geminaria canalis
This is another photo of a remarkable Bee Fly (order Bombyliidae, Diptera) - probably Geminaria canalis. It has a long sharp proboscis and it's built like a jet plane. What's most remarkable are those dark "eye spots" on its back that reflect light just like Jumping Spider (Salticidae) eyes. Is that camouflage for when it's digging into a flower with its butt in the air? See my [Previous] photo and this one for more photos of this remarkable fly.
This one is perched on a composite flower (Asteraceae) that I can't identify yet. It's a subshrub that grows near rock outcrops in the desert that reminds me of our summer-flowering California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia aka Lessingia filaginifolia) at home, though that one is not reported here. HFDF! (Alabama Hills, Owens Valley, Inyo County, California, 1 May 2015)