Milichiidae (family)
Freeloader fly at Dunlop, ACT
Identify this sighting
| Milichiidae (family) | DiBickers | 5 May 2025 | |
| Unverified | CathB | 10 Mar 2020 |
Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.
User's notes
Two different species of fly visiting newly opened flowers. This sighting is for the paler one, which looks similar to one seen on the same species of orchid in sighting 4223752. The black flies are shown in sighting 4252461.
1 comment
5 May 2025
I’m not particularly good with Fly ID’s, but these look like Freeloader Flies (the paler ones you mention for this sighting look similar to those in the Stomosis Genus).
If so, they are considered kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates and I’ve often found them helping themselves to a free feed on the spider’s dead/dying prey.
Apparently some Orchards are known to use prey/carrion mimicry (kleptomyiophily) to attract kleptoparastic flies to pollinate their flowers. I have attached a link to the article if you’d like to have a read😊
https://nossa.org.au/2015/07/24/orchid-pollination-strategy-for-corunastylis-littoralis-part-one-of-two-part-summary-excerpts/
If so, they are considered kleptoparasites of predatory invertebrates and I’ve often found them helping themselves to a free feed on the spider’s dead/dying prey.
Apparently some Orchards are known to use prey/carrion mimicry (kleptomyiophily) to attract kleptoparastic flies to pollinate their flowers. I have attached a link to the article if you’d like to have a read😊
https://nossa.org.au/2015/07/24/orchid-pollination-strategy-for-corunastylis-littoralis-part-one-of-two-part-summary-excerpts/
Location information
- Coordinates 149.074221-35.267397
- Altitude 584.2m
- Maps Mount Painter
- Places Dunlop, ACT
Sighting information
- 4 - 15 Abundance
- 8 Mar 2020 04:42 PM Recorded on
- CathB Recorded by
- Corunastylis cornuta Associated plant
- 5mm to 12mm Animal size
Collections
- My flagged sightings CathB NatureMapr Canberra & Southern Tablelands Milichiidae (family) Other true flies True flies (Diptera) Insects
Species information
- Milichiidae (family) Scientific name
- Freeloader fly Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 784.8m Recorded at altitude
- External link More information
Record quality
Quality score
7 / 7
- Images or audio
- More than one media file
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location
- Description
- Additional attributes