The family of Picture-winged Flies is filled with bold, flashy and striking members and Delphinia picta is no exception.
Delphinia picta is one of central and eastern North America's most common Picture-winged Flies. Its wings are mostly black, but they bear solid white stripes and spots on them. The body, by contrast, is a lighter brown or flesh color. Its eyes are a pinky-rose color.
Females deposit hundreds of fertilized eggs using an ovipositor, a syringe-like tail. The eggs are placed inside very rotten fruit, vegetable or flower matter. Within a week, eggs hatch and the larvae (maggots) feed on what remains of the plant matter surrounding them. Though most larvae pupate and emerge as adults in the same year, some late-season larvae can overwinter in deeper ground and complete their devleopment the subsequent spring.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Diptera
Family:Ulidiidae
Genus:Delphinia
Species:picta
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Delphinia picta
Category:
Fly or Mosquito
Size (Adult; Length): 5mm to 9mm (0.20in to 0.35in)
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Colors: black, white, pink, yellow, brown
