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| Mydas Fly - Mark Bower |
This Mydas fly, identified by Mark Bower, was a new species for me. You can see it is large by the way it fills the flower head of the echinacea. The dark color makes it look all the more dangerous but it is harmless unless you happen to be a beetle larva. It gets its name from King Midas whose curse was that everything he touched turned to gold. This sounds like a good curse until you try to eat dinner.
Mydas tibialis gets its name from the golden tibias or legs as seen in the photograph by the late Bob Moul. During their short lifespan as adults they feed on nectar and pollen, serving as pollinators. The MDC Field Guide says that they are found on rattlesnake master on the prairies.
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| Mydas pupa - Cotinis CC |
Mydas larvae live in rotting wood (such as dead trees lying on the forest floor) or in the soil. They feed on beetle grubs that are harmless in our natural habitats but a pest species on law
ns. Mydas fly grubs have been proposed as biological control agents for use in sod farms.
Mydas sp. are harmless to us but are in the same family as robber flies which can bite defensively. Unless you know your flies, I wouldn't try of grab one anyway.