If you said 'Bristle Fly's rear end (or equivalent) you'd be good. If you said 'Green Rutilia Fly (Chrysorutilia) imperialis', you'd be pushing the bounds of credulity... That's one big fly - 21mm from nose to rear - wings 20mm long, (thankfully not quite as big as the photo!) They are vegetarians as adults, feeding on nectar and aphid honeydew. When they lay eggs, though, they lay them on the larvae of beetles, caterpillars or other insects that go though a similar metamorphosis. The Green Rutila fly larvae then feast on the still-living host, taking care not to kill it or disable it, the idea being to keep it alive and healthy for as long as possible. By the way, did you also know that flies can't grow? Their skeletons are on the outside.
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December 2020
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