#common snipefly

Common Snipefly - Rhagio mystaceus

I’ve just returned from a cottage trip up in Muskoka with many insect pictures to share. With the weather turning warmer across Ontario, many new insects have begun to emerge. Especially those insects that aren’t too far from the wooded areas or lake Muskoka. It’s still a bit too early for everyone to come outside, but there were May Beetles flying headfirst into the cottage’s walls, having been drawn in by the night lights. Night lights also draw in Crane Fliesand Moths (latter identification is ongoing) which have plenty of places to perch and rest thanks to window screens. In the daytime, other insects can be found rummaging and flying around cottage country including the subject of today’s post. I’m reluctant to post about another Fly so soon after the last one, but it’s another new specie for the blog and may serve as an educational tool for those in cottage country, the woods or marshes. Plus, it’s not every day that I find a Snipe Fly sporting beautifully patterned wings and posing for nice pictures. This specimen is a female which can be discerned by the gap between its compound eyes. Comparing it to the other species of this blog, it has the classic Rhagio Snipe Fly body shape and long legs. When first finding it, I wasn’t sure what this insect was, and I wouldn’t be sure until closely looking at Picture 2 and noticing a long, tapering abdomen with faint yellow stripes. 

I was hesitant to approach at first. Why? Cottage country can be notorious for biting Flies, especially in areas by lakes, woods and fields. Specifically Deer Flies and Horseflies, both of which tend to present with patterned wings. Muskoka definitely has Horseflies, but this is too small and spindly to be that, so I pondered whether this was a Deer Fly. Thankfully not, as Deer Flies tend to have bright, metallic eyes with scintillating patterns. Breathe a sigh of relief if you see this Fly near you as this specie is reported not to be frequent biters (if at all) of humans. Other species of the west may bite, but not to the same degree as a Horsefly. The Snipe Fly mouthparts seem to be for jabbing rather than slicing. Getting off that subject, I’ll end this post by mentioning that this insect has a look-a-like that you should be aware of:  R. punctipennis: the Lesser Variegated Snipe Fly! To tell these two down-lookers apart, pay close attention to the wings and thorax. The wings are patterned differently and thorax’s parallel bands are different too. The Common Snipe Fly has a little divide in between the middle band (zoom in on Picture 5) and the scutellum appears discolored compared to the scutum (smaller thorax plate compared to larger thorax plate). It’s much less complicated than it sounds, trust me, but the take away here is that this Fly isn’t likely to bother you during a cottage summer day.

Pictures were taken on May 28, 2022 in Muskoka with a Google Pixel 4. Another Muskoka cottage insect will come on Friday. A larger, more metallic insect will be examined. Which one could it be?