Ensign Fly - unnamed 2

Ensign flies are named for their habit of running around while waving their wings.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Nemopoda nitidula
Family: 
Ensign flies
Family Latin name: 
SEPSIDAE
Category: 
Insects other

Species description

Species description

These tiny flies are about 3 to 4 millimetres in length. They closely resemble ants. Ensign flies are named for their habit of running around while waving their wings. This species is black with a feint white dusting on the lower sides of its thorax; its front legs are considerably paler. It also lacks the black wing spot seen in other members of the family, such as Sepsis sp.. Nemopoda nitidula can be seen between April and September. It is common and widespread in Britain.

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)

Details

Species family information

Ensign flies - or black scavenger flies - number about 300 worldwide. They are often ant mimics and are notable for the way in which they wave their wings.

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!