Stilt-legged flies (in the family Micropezidae) make their living by pretending to be other insects — in this case, an ant. The forelegs of this stilt-legged fly (Taeniaptera trivittata) are bright white to attract attention, and the fly holds them out straight in front of it like the antennae of an ant. Other Micropezidae pretend…
Tag: long legs
Stiletto Fly
About the size of a house fly but unaccountably much longer in the abdomen, with long legs, and in color resembling a flesh fly (red eyes, black and white striped thorax, black and white striped abdomen), this is in fact a stiletto fly, Penniverpa festina. You’d think something this big would have more than a…
Cave Cricket
This photo was taken in 2012 during a visit to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Just as we were leaving, I had the misfortune to look up and find dozens of these huge, long-legged crickets crawling along the ceiling! Cave crickets (there are several species, but the one specifically living in Mammoth Cave is Hadenoecus subterraneus)…
Stilt Legged Fly
Grallipeza nebulosa is a species of stilt-legged fly from the family Micropezidae. These little guys are notable for their “dancing” — they can often be seen running back and forth, waving their brightly marked forelegs around. The tiny white feet are visible even at a distance to the human eye. There is not a lot…
Long-jawed Orb Weaver
Sadly, I can’t narrow this down past the family Tetragnatha, but it’s definitely a long-jawed orb weaver spider. The long-jawed orb weavers are notable first, ironically enough, for their immense forelegs, which they hold stretched out in front of them, giving the spider a very long profile. It uses these forelegs to grab prey. Secondarily…