Hello
I love taking photos to the bugs. I found this little one, with an out of ordinary sexual behavior. He opens its abdomen and pulls out those white... horns(?). After the alluring of the female he pulls them back. Do they contain feromons? Is it the white that is appealing?
Who is he?
Thank you
These look like scuttle flies (family Phoridae); the odd structure is on the female, not the male - it may function in getting the male into position; possibly through a feeding attractant? (Just a guess)
I think I've narrowed it to Megaselia scalaris. What do you think?
http://bugguide.net/node/view/243236
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Megaselia_scalaris.jpg
If so, perhaps you could add your great pics to BugFiles... http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/3221/
I'm not sure. As this species has such a wide distribution and is so commonly encountered, I am very puzzled that no one seems to have noticed/reported that odd structure before.
Hello
Thank you
I narrowed even more. It seems it is Phalacrotophora fasciata. Ant this cute odd little thing is a pest for ladybugs. Shame on it!
What do you think?
Images such as this one - http://aramel.free.fr/Phalacrotophora-fasciata-1.jpg make that diagnosis likely.
Can anyone explain that behavior? Is it documented anywhere?
Thank you
