Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Cambodia. Calliphoridae

Posted by Nikita Vikhrev on 27-03-2014 12:51
#5

Oleg Kosterin's description of mentioned observation:
In the town of Ban Lung, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia, on June 1, 2013 there was a strong downpoor
at about 1700-1730 hr, during which several large flies were observed flying very fast in a very
loose aggregate at a mango tree and a roof of a two-floor building. They disappeared when the
dorwpoor stopped. In twilight at about 1800 hr I observed many large flies resting on leaves of a
certain small bush in a garden. The rain just resumed and numerous winged thermites got into the
air from under that bush, for the thermites fly while raining. The flies start flying under the
rain as well. To my surprise, they flew to hunt for thermites: a fly captured a flying tрermite,
returned to the bush and started to suck it with its proboscis. The thermites were smaller than the
flies and very soft, most probably they were damaged while being grasped by flies so offering them
an opportunity to suck their interiores. The flies collected at that occasion appeared to be
Bengalia spp., represented exclusively by males. Noteworthy that there were some smaller flies at
that bush, perhaps from other genera, which probably did the same. It was difficult to say if the
large flies flying at the tree and roof during strong downpoor were just swarmed males or they
expected to catch thermites as well (absent at that moment).