Not much is known about this Dance Fly, here visiting a Milkmaid flower. The genus is likely Empis and the species possibly remains undescribed. It uses its long proboscis (mouthpart) to access stores of nectar without paying the toll of aiding in pollination. Big old bumblebees are well known to be nectar robbers, punching through the sides of flowers to get at the nectar, the literature speculates that the Dance fly is a “secondary nectar robber” making use of existing holes…letting the bumblebee do the hard work.In contrast, here’s a Syrphid Fly with “more regular” mouthparts requiring the fly to get it’s whole head right in there to find nectar and assisting in pollination in the process.
Mark Sindt 2021-03-31
Looks so good