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Fly School

@dipteracourse.bsky.social
368 followers 284 following 29 posts

Fly School is a two week course for those who want to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Diptera. The next Fly School will be July-August 2026. dipterists.org/fly_school.html

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Dipterists Society @dipterists.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
We'll be hosting our 35th General Meeting @ #EntSoc26 (Nov. 10; Columbus, OH) and are looking for speakers! Presentations can be on anything related to #Diptera If you're interested please message @bertonemyia.bsky.social for a link to submit your talk info for consideration. Hope to see you there!
A golden yellow and black stalk-eyed Richardia fly sits on a white background next to the Dipterists Society logo. Underneath the fly it says "We're looking for you...to present!"
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Fly School @dipteracourse.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Tenure track Assistant Professor of Arthropod Biodiversity position open at UC Berkeley in California aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05523
aprecruit.berkeley.edu
Assistant Professor - Arthropod Biodiversity - Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Check out this extraordinary female Eucelatoria sp (Tachinidae). She possess a sharp piercer that she tucks up underneath her when not being deployed, for oviposition - you can see her ovipositor nestled in this penetrating sheath! Badass lady! @dipteracourse.bsky.social #FlySchool2026
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Not only are #Periscelididae very cute, some of the less spectacular-looking spp. are hypnotic dancers 💃🕺 #Stenomicra shuffles back & forth, easily gliding across surfaces. This large genus is found in the tropics often on banana leaves, etc. #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica 📽️: Nolan Lake [more ⬇️]
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Back in civilization after 2 weeks in the Costa Rican jungle. It was an amazing experience full of spectacular flies (+other creatures) as well as a truly wonderful group of students & instructors. The memories made will last a lifetime. ☺️ 🥰 Can't wait for the next #Diptera adventure! #FlySchool2026
frit fly (Chloropidae: Acanthopeltastes) A small shiny black fly sits on a white backgroundfacing the viewer. Its wings are spread and it has four large spines coming out of the rear of the thorax.mantis shore fly (Ephydridae: Ochthera) A grayish black fly with large mantis-like forelegs sits on a white background facing left.horse fly (Tabanidae) A golden brown fly with a huge head made up of mostly eyes sits on a white background facing right, waving its front legs out.stilt-legged fly (Micropezidae) A thin black fly with long legs and a bright red head and striped eyes sits on a white background facing right, waving around its front legs.
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🐙🦑👁️one-eyed Guy enjoyer @toldentops.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Drawings based on specimens I collected during my costa rica trip! Featuring Ropalomeridae, Richardiidae, and Tabanidae #flyschool2026 #art #entomology
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
OK I thought Scutops was cute, but OMG #NEOscutops is amazing! 😍 I'm now convinced #Periscelididae is, per species, the weirdest family of flies (more evidence from another genus to drop later). #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica [And yes, @americanbeetles.bsky.social, it's cool partly because of beetle]
A small round beetle-like fly with a shiny black body and bright red head walks on a leaf. Dorsal view. A small round beetle-like fly with a shiny black body and bright red head walks on a leaf. Lateral view facing left. A small round beetle-like fly with a shiny black body and bright red head walks on a leaf. Lateral view facing right. A small round beetle-like fly with a shiny black body and bright red head sits on a white background. Lateral view facing left.
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Heads up folks Some Tabanidae that were sampled from the Canopy Tower at the Soltis Center, Costa Rica These images show both differences in eye patterns & antennal branching. Sadly the eye patterns disappear as they desicate so images are important #FlySchool2026 @dipteracourse.bsky.social
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
OK class: which is the male (♂️) and which is the female (♀️)? [BTW - these are the smallest members of this family of flies I have ever seen!] #FlySchool2026
Two small dark gray flies, one on top of the other and mating, rest on a green leaf.Close up of two small dark gray flies, one on top of the other and mating, rest on a green leaf.Close up of two small dark gray flies, one on top of the other and mating, rest on a green leaf.
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
A rather lovely male Artemita sp (Stratiomyidae), one of the larger Pachygastrinae in Costa Rica. This genus mostly has species with hairy eyes, and this one is no exception @dipteracourse.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social #FlySchool2026
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Gold star for this silver soldier #fly 🌟 Diptera are seriously amazing 🤩 🥰 #Stratiomyidae: #Artemita argentea Soltis Center, Costa Rica @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteracourse.bsky.social @riccardi-p.bsky.social
A fly covered with thick silver fur sits on a white background facing left. It's head is mostly red eyes with darker red squiggles, and it's wings are held out folder over each other sticking out the rear.
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
A gorgeous new family of flies for me - Xylomyidae, the Wood Soldier flies These have been poorly studied as most caught via malaise but Antoine Touret hand caught this off a wall at the @soltiscenter. 3spp described in Costa Rica but many more waiting to de determined @dipteracourse.bsky.social
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Sometimes you've gotta go metallic to mimic your model! This common tropical hover #fly at the top is a convincing mimic of the local orchid #bees in the genus #Euglossa (bottom). #FlySchool2026 #Syrphidae: #Ornidia obesa Soltis Center, Costa Rica
Two metallic green winged insects on a white background, one at the top and one at the bottom. The top one is a hover fly and the bottom is an orchid bee.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Some crane flies in the genus #Geranomyia produce a little gel nursery to develop on leaves in the tropics. There they graze on algae & other organic matter. The mass provides moisture (other spp. live in water/soil) & likely protects from predators. #Tipulidae #Limoniidae #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica
A jelly mass on the midrib of a long leaf contains a long translucent larva withinA close up of a long, worm-like, translucent larva curving around inside a clear jelly massA thick jelly mass on a leaf surface has a long crane fly pupa suspended withinTwo greenish crane flies with long beaks mating on a leaf. The female is resting above, while the male contorts himself underneath, connected by their genitalia.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Check out these flies! . . . And of course the amazing eyelash viper 😜 😂 🥰 #Ceratopogonidae #Viperidae: #Bothriechis supraciliaris #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica
A close up of a brown eyelash viper face showing a few blood-feeding biting midges.A small brown viper wrapped around a small twig, facing down.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
The mint chocolate chip flavor of flies [I imagine] 😋 #Stratiomyidae: #Promeranisa #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica
A fly stands on a white background facing right. It is mint green with brown stripes on the thorax and a pointed face with long thick antennae.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Officially the cutest fly I've ever seen 🥰 😍 It was a target genus of mine & Ezra Bailey was kind enough to save her live specimen for me to photograph [we've been lucky to see more since]. They mostly run around rather than fly. SQUEEEEEEE!!!! #Periscelididae: #Scutops #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica
A small dwarf fly sits on a leaf facing right. It has a yellow stripe down its back and dark wings folded over the abdomen like a little beetle. Its face is pointed into a small whit blunt nose. It's eyes are red with a couple light stripes.A small dwarf fly sits on a leaf facing right. It has a yellow stripe down its back and dark wings folded over the abdomen like a little beetle. Its face is pointed into a small whit blunt nose. It's eyes are red with a couple light stripes.A small dwarf fly sits on a leaf facing right. It has a yellow stripe down its back and dark wings folded over the abdomen like a little beetle. Its face is pointed into a small whit blunt nose. It's eyes are red with a couple light stripes.
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Fly School @dipteracourse.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Collected by @khong-a-tach.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A female Physoptera (Phoridae) showing off/advertising her presence, by releasing pheromones through her abdominal glands (the yellow stripes on her abdomen). As you can see they have reduced abdominal plates (tergites) that allow these glands to expand #FlySchool2026 @dipteracourse.bsky.social
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The hammerhead condition has evolved numerous times in flies, resulting in various flavors. Last time we found an extreme one (flic.kr/p/2qeN7Hz) but this example is a bit more tame (still lovely, though! ❤️) [Coll.: Khong Lunaria] #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica #Richardiidae: #Richardia cf. telescopica
A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing to the right toward the viewer. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing to left. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing away from the viewer. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.
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Fly School @dipteracourse.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
😍
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Spectacular catch on the 1st day of #FlySchool2026 by student Sangjin Han! This massive timber fly was flying around the lobby of the Soltis Center last night. At over 2"/5 cm this is the largest live fly I've ever seen 😳 Larvae bore in wood. Amazing! 🥰 #Pantophthalmidae: #Pantophthalmus Costa Rica
A large brown fly with yellow-tipped legs and pointy orange antennae sits facing right on a white background.A large brown fly with yellow-tipped legs and pointy orange antennae sits facing right on a white background. A human finger is resting above it to show the large size.A large brown fly with yellow-tipped legs and pointy orange antennae sits facing toward the viewer on a white background.
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Dipterists Society @dipterists.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
If you're enjoying these posts (and #flies 🪰 in general) please visit our website: dipterists.org You can become a member and find out how you can join Fly School in the future. We'd love to see you!
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
@bertonemyia.bsky.social asked his seven year old nephew to give common names to flies.. Do you agree? And can you name the actual families? #FlySchool2026 @dipteracourse.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Afternoons lecture by Brian Brown at @dipteracourse.bsky.social #FlySchool2026 starts with Hypopygial circumversion in the higher flies Instead of the males being dragged along, their genitalia has rotated to offer them some dignity 🤓🤘
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Lots of ‘whooping’ about the next lecture at #FlySchool2026 by @riccardi-p.bsky.social - genitalia preps ‘We use genitalia as its under positive selection’. @dipteracourse.bsky.social
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Just a couple big-headed flies making more big-headed flies, which I appreciate so I can see more big-headed flies 😁 #Pipunculidae #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica [PS: Jim Hogue is about to wow us w/these flies & their close relatives the hover flies!] @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteracourse.bsky.social
Two big-headed flies mating, the male on top of female. They on the end of a small twig with a black background and are facing right. They are dark, with evenly-spaced light gray patches on their abdomen. Their heads are massive and made up mostly of the eyes.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Be a dipterist. Be in Costa Rica for #FlySchool2026. See a muscoid #fly perching on a leaf. Tell student so they can collect it. Success!! Wait a minute 🤔 That's not a fly, but weevil mimicking one! This was so convincing, even rapidly moving & poking its wings out 🥰 #Curculionidae: cf. #Mnemynurus
A weevil with red around its neck, resembling the eyes of a fly. It has large brown eyes and a long yellow proboscis curving under the body. It's on a white background facing the viewer.A weevil with red around its neck, resembling the eyes of a fly. It has large brown eyes and a long yellow proboscis curving under the body. The wing cover are mottled brown and white. It is on a white background facing left.A weevil with red around its neck, resembling the eyes of a fly. It has large brown eyes and a long yellow proboscis curving under the body. The wing cover are mottled brown and white. It is on a white background facing away.A weevil with red around its neck, resembling the eyes of a fly. It has large brown eyes and a long yellow proboscis curving under the body. The wing cover are mottled brown and white, and the wings are sticking out the back. It is on a white background facing away from the viewer.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@flygirlnhm.bsky.social @riccardi-p.bsky.social @dipteracourse.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social
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Fly School @dipteracourse.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
😍
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Drilling into the participants of #FlySchool2026 @dipteracourse.bsky.social that boots/wellies in the jungle are essential. As for the bullet ants..they come for you. It’s all giggles but if you leave your lights on, they will find you 🤓😉
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
And so it begins… #FlySchool2026 in Costa Rica. @dipteracourse.bsky.social tutors include @bertonemyia.bsky.social @riccardi-p.bsky.social @dsamorim.bsky.social, Giar-Ann, Jim Hogue and Greg Dahlem and myself. Heading to the jungle…
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Pet peeve of mine, but butterflies are really not important pollinators, most of them. They are pretty, yes. But they are nowhere near as important as flies and beetles and bees.
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Temple Balsall @templebalsall.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
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D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 14/07/2026
Mydas fly!! Not a wasp, a huge black iridescent orange-spotted monster slurping on swamp milkweed. Plant native plants…never know who’ll show up 😳
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
For the upcoming @dipteracourse.bsky.social we are preparing a shopping list.... I can't wait to smear rotten meat around the Costa Rican Canopy... @dipterists.bsky.social
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Antonia 🦋🐞 @antoniag.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🧪🐛🐝🐜🦋Come work with me! @romtoronto.bsky.social is hiring a Curator of Insects & Arachnids!!! #insects royalontariomuseum.applytojob.com/apply/mdMTpA...
royalontariomuseum.applytojob.com
Curator of Insects & Arachnids - Royal Ontario Museum - Career Page
Apply to Curator of Insects & Arachnids at Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Entomology is for everyone - and we’re here to help make that a reality. The RES EDI grant supports projects that break down barriers and create opportunities for more people to engage with insect science. 🔗 Read more and apply now 🔽 buff.ly/mu9z1He Deadline: 17 July
buff.ly
Get funding for your next project
💡 Your idea could inspire the next generation. Some examples of projects, events and activities that this fund can cover are: 🪰 Entomological history projects that celebrate ethnic diversity and heritage which can lead to more involvement of underrepresented groups in entomology 🦗 An entomology-focussed citizen science project providing technology, visual aids, sign language interpretation or alternative communication methods within a field/laboratory setting specifically used by individuals with hearing impairments 🐞 Workshops/networking events that amplify women and girl voices, encouraging a greater diversity of contributions in entomology 🐝 A university-led careers event, specifically supporting early career LGBTQ+ groups with entomological pursuits 🦋 Activities that promote intergenerational connections in the entomological community
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invertebrate @crevicedwelling.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Panorpa insolens, a scorpionfly, defends her delicious mystery lump from a patient flesh fly (Sarcophagidae). Wing-flagging in Panorpa is used for both intraspecific and interspecific communication, and in some species studied, these displays are often used to guard food from other scavengers
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
We gave thanks & celebration on Monday for Peter Chandler - an extraordinary man, a great dipterist & a kind & generous spirit Check out the 10 year old Peter’s answers in his I-Spy entomology book- they made me smile & feel grateful to have known such a great man @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Had a busy summer and collected a lot of flies. Well here is the perfect course providing all sorts of information about how to manage your dipteran specimens @dipteristsforum.bsky.social get a discount :) @dipterists.bsky.social @biologicalrecording.co.uk www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/managing-d...
eventbrite.co.uk
Managing Diptera Specimens
Learn how to process, preserve and manage fly specimens for recording, research and reference collections.
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Wondering what to do when the nights draw in? How about learning how to survey for flies? Dipterists Forum members get a discount - maggoty goodness right there @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @biologicalrecording.co.uk @dipterists.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/surveying-...
eventbrite.co.uk
Surveying For Flies
Learn how to survey for flies using practical field methods while exploring their ecological importance and habitats.
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Well this sounds good - learn about the BEST insects furing #InsectWeek @dipteristsforum.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fly-resear...
eventbrite.co.uk
Fly Research and Conservation Virtual Symposium
Join us during Insect Week to explore some of the latest research and conservation projects about true flies (Diptera).
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Ian Andrews @suillia.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Leptometopa latipes (Milichiidae)...2-3mm freeloader fly. Seem to be few records nationally, but conservative estimate of 5000 today at Bempton Cliffs, where I suspect they associate with seabird guano. They were all over the cliff edge hand rails! @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @ynuorg.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Scathophagidae are dead. Long live Anthomyidae, Scathophaginae Yep, Scathophagids are a subfamily of Anthomyiids! (Without hairy subscutellum) @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Final morning of #BIOCOREFlies26 and it’s the Calyptrates with Thomas Pape Lots of fun looking for lumps, bumps and curving veins. #InsectWeek @dipterists.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Tonight we have a guest lecture by Netta Dorchin - a world expert in Gall midges The biggest family in dark taxa, and by quite a margin..within Hymenoptera, it’s the Platygastrids, which are parasites of Gall midges…. #BIOCOREFlies26 #insectweek @dipteristsforum.bsky.social
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
🚨 Lifer alert! 🚨 Check out this deer bot #fly that @dradriansmith.bsky.social found while we were hunting bugs - my first time getting pics of a wild adult of this family! It's a convincing bee mimic, whose babies live in the sinuses & throats of deer 😋 👀 #Oestridae: #Cephenemyia phobifer NC, USA
A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on a leaf, viewed in profile.A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on a leaf, viewed from above.A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on white background, viewed from the side facing right.A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on white background, viewed from above next to a US dime.
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ZooKeys @zookeys.pensoft.net · 13/05/2026
🕷️ A comprehensive review of pseudoscorpion dispersal via hitchhiking on flies has been conducted, incorporating records spanning over 260 years. ➡️ Check out our guest blog post, written by Jana Christophoryová of Comenius University Bratislava: blog.pensoft.net/2026/05/13/t...
blog.pensoft.net
Tiny Hitchhikers in a Big World: How pseudoscorpions travel on flies | Blog
A new study published in ZooKeys offers the most comprehensive synthesis of pseudoscorpion–Diptera phoresy, including new European records.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
True flies (order #Diptera) are amazing & under appreciated! Most people think only of house flies, but there's >160,000 described spp. w/many more to be discovered. They go by many names including mosquitoes, gnats, & midges. Check out the blue eyes on this predatory midge #Ceratopogonidae #FlyWeek
A shiny, black, elongate predatory midge sits on a white background. It has long thin antennae and long thin legs. It also has brilliant blues eyes.A shiny, black, elongate predatory midge sits on a green leaf. It has long thin antennae and long thin legs. It also has brilliant blues eyes.
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