Mimicry: Wasp Mimic Hover Fly Sucking Nectar


  • Photographer
    Susan Brandt Graham
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Date of Photograph
    October 5, 2017
  • Technical Info
    Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF 100mm

Wasp mimic hover flies consume other small insects such as aphids as their main diet. Floral nectar gives extra nutrition for developing eggs. Note the fly stabilizing the tubule with its front appendages. Note also the specialized suctorial proboscis for sucking nectar. Simultaneously, the hover fly is pollinating the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) with the pollen that collects on its body. This is a harmonious win-win situation for both the wasp mimic hover fly and the Mexican sunflower.

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