Our insect of the week for February 17, 2025 is Sphyracephala brevicornis [DIPTERA: Diopsidae]. Yes, the name is a mouthful (and we are turning our attention to fliles this week). This species was described by the American entomologist, Thomas Say in 1817 (another year before Illinois became a state).
The common name for this species is – short-horned ankle-headed fly. Members of the family Diopsidae are commonly called stalk-eyed flies. They remind me a bit of hammerhead sharks. Adults are often found on rocks near water and may also be observed near skunk cabbage. Little else is known about this species. It is thought the larvae feed on decaying vegetation.
The fly shown here was collected by Gordon Adams in Peoria County, Illinois, in April, 1997. This copyrighted photo was created by stacking nearly 80 photos together to generate each of these photos. The top photo is the dorsal view of the fly; the bottom photo is the frontal view of the fly.
