Subject: Flying brown bug
Location: Lees summit, Missouri
June 4, 2015 10:25 pm
Hello, found this guy on my lap as I entered my car. He came along for the ride till I stopped then flew away. Looks a bit like a horse fly.
Regards.
Signature: Yanik

Stinkfliege

Dear Yanik,
We are very excited to post your images of a Stinkfliege, Coenomyia ferruginea, a fly in the family Xylophagidae, as we have but one other example on our site and your images are far superior.  Alas, there is not much information on BugGuide, but according to the translation of Insektenbox:  “Larvae live on detritus (dead vegetable matter, sludge).”  According to the translation of Insekten, the family are called Wood Flies.

Stinkfliege

5   I like This

Related posts:

Stinkfliege: A Xylophagid Fly Flower Fly Satyr Butterfly and Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly Horntail

Subject: Red & yellow insect I saw at the park (NJ)
Location: Alpine, NJ / Palisades
June 7, 2014 10:50 pm
Hello. I was exploring around the park yesterday with my camera and came upon this lovely insect hanging out on a leafy plant on the ground. It looks to be some kind of large, colorful fly, maybe? I have been searching around online to see if I can figure out what it is, but I’m having no luck.
The photo was taken June 7, 2014 in Alpine, NJ in the afternoon.
Thank you!
Signature: Tara

Unknown Fly

Hi Tara,
You are correct that this is a Fly, but beyond the identification to the order Diptera level, we haven’t a clue.  We hope we can quickly identify this unusual looking fly.  Though you did not specify a size, you did indicate that it is a large fly.  We quickly scanned BugGuide and there are some similarities to the male Small Headed Fly, Ogcodes dispar, in this image of a mating pair on BugGuide, but we would love a second opinion.  The antennae just don’t look right to us, so we do not believe that is a correct identification.

Eric Eaton Provides and Identification:  Xylophagid Fly
Daniel:
Getting lots of these lately….Coenomyia ferruginea, a type of xylophagid fly (Xylophagidae).  This one looks like a female.  I may want to do a blog post on these.  Could I simply credit this image to your website if I use it?
Eric

Thanks so much Eric.  Yes you have permission to use the image on your blog, BugEric.  We see on BugGuide that the common name for this species is a Stinkfliege, which joins the term Hellgrammite as an unusual common name for an insect.

1   I like This

Related posts:

Stinkfliege Unusual coloration on Solitary Black Bycid Ichneumon Robber Fly from Elyria Canyon Park