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Spilomyia saltuum / Pseudoscorpionida
A fairly rare female hoverfly gathering nectar of a giant scabious flower in a wasteland near marls. The adult is floricole, the larvae develop in the rotted wood. It serves as a taxi (phoresy) to a tiny arachnid that look like a scorpion (pseudoscorpion). He uses his pedipalpes to cling to the insects that transport him to places where he will find food. They feed on litter of small arthropods, often acarines and springtails.
Created: August 19, 2017
© Anne SORBES
Photo size: 20.0 Mpixels (57.1 MB uncompressed) - 5472x3648 pixels (18.2x12.2 in / 46.3x30.9 cm at 300 ppi)
Photo keywords: Animal, Arachnida, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Cephalaria leucantha, Chapias, Diois, Diptera, Drôme, Fly, France, Giant Scabious, Hoverfly, Insecta, Macro, Nature, Pseudoscorpion, Pseudoscorpiones, Pseudoscorpionida, Rhône-Alpes, Spilomyia, Spilomyia saltuum, Syrphidae, Wildlife