Picture-Winged Fly - (Delphinia picta)

The family of Picture-Winged Flies is filled with bold, flashy and striking members and Delphinia picta is no exception.

Staff Writer (8/17/2017): 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 will 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, they will hatch and the larvae (maggots) will feed on the remains of the plant matter surrounding them. Though most larvae will pupate and emerge as adults in the same year, the larvae can overwinter in deeper ground and complete their aging process the subsequent spring.

©2005-2017 www.InsectIdentification.org. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Permitted. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from www.InsectIdentification.org is strictly prohibited. Material presented throughout this website is for entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for scientific research or medical advice (insect bites, etc...). Please consult licensed, degreed professionals for such information. Email corrections / Comments to InsectIdentification at Gmail dot com.

Details of the:
Picture-Winged Fly

Category: Fly or Mosquito
Common name: Picture-Winged Fly
Scientific Name: Delphinia picta

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Diptera

Family: Ulidiidae

Genus: Delphinia

Species: picta

Size (Adult, Length): 5mm to 9mm (0.20in to 0.35in)

Identifying Colors: black, white, pink, yellow, brown

Additional Descriptors: flying, striped, flesh-tone, spotted, bands, fast,

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Ontario; Quebec

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

BUGFINDER: What Kind of Bug is This...

BUGFINDER allows for a quick search of the Insect Identification database by selecting primary color, secondary color, number of legs and the territory / state in question. If only one color is present on your insect, select it again as its SECONDARY color. Remember that the more details you can offer, the better your chances of finding a match. As a rule of thumb, six legs are typical for most insects whereas spiders generally have eight legs.

Primary Color:

Secondary Color:

Number of Legs:

State / Province:

General Category: