The Dagger Fly seen here is Empis opaca nectaring (feeding) on a dewberry flower. These flies are common throughout Europe except the peninsulas of th
The Dagger Fly seen here is Empis opaca nectaring (feeding) on a dewberry flower. These flies are common throughout Europe except the peninsulas of the Balkans and Iberian. As their name suggests this is a predatory species and catches its prey by impaling it with its extended mouth parts (proboscis) and can be used as biological control agents. However, they also feed on flowers where their long proboscis allows them to reach the nectar and so are also important pollinators. Sometimes also referred to as balloon flies or ïÍdance fliesÍÍ. These names arose because of the habit of preparing nuptial gifts for the female before mating, where the male wraps a prey item in silk to offer the female. The female will not respond unless bribed in this fashion and as soon as she has finished the meal she loses all interest and disengages from copulation.
Size: 5916px × 3934px
Location: Great Altcar, merseyside, UK
Photo credit: © Rod Hill / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: angiosperm, animalia, anthers, arthropod, arthtorpoda, botany, brachycera, caesius, creature, creatures, dagger, dance, dewberry, dicots, dicotyledons, diptera, empididae, empidoidea, empis, entomology, eudicots, european, family, fauna, feeding, filaments, flora, flower, fly, green, hexapod, hexapoda, insecta, insects, invertebrate, macro, magnolicae, nature, nectaring, opaca, petal, plantae, plants, rosaceae, rosales, rose, rubeae, rubus, vegetation, wild, wildlife
