grass fly

(Thaumatomyia glabra)

Conservation Status
grass fly (Thaumatomyia glabra)
Photo by Alfredo Colon
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Grass fly is a very small, black and yellow, frit fly. Adults are no more than (3.0 mm) long. The tibia on the hind leg has an oval-shaped hairy depression.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: (3.0 mm)

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Fields

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

Late July to late September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

Root aphids on goldenrods

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30.

 
  5/26/2019      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Diptera (flies)  
 

Suborder

Brachycera  
 

Infraorder

Muscomorpha  
  No Rank Eremoneura  
  No Rank Cyclorrhapha  
  Zoosection Schizophora (schizophora flies)  
  Zoosubsection Acalyptratae (acalyptrate flies)  
 

Superfamily

Carnoidea  
 

Family

Chloropidae (frit flies)  
 

Subfamily

Chloropinae (grass flies)  
 

Genus

Thaumatomyia  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Chlorops assimilis

Chlorops glabra

Chlorops halteralis

Chlorops hortensis

Chlorops trivialis

Siphonella obesa

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

This species has no common name. The common name for the subfamily Chloropinae is grass flies, and it is applied here for convenience.

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Alfredo Colon

 
    grass fly (Thaumatomyia glabra)   grass fly (Thaumatomyia glabra)  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           
           

 

Camera

     
 
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slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Female Grass Fly - Thaumatomyia glabra - Macro HD
Lisa Marie Carrick
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 12, 2018

I went hunting for arthropods very early in the morning for the very first time today - it was so much easier to get shots of all of the insects I found - especially the flies - so early in the morning, when it was quite cold out. The insects are slowed down.

This is one of my all-time favourite fly species - it’s a female grass fly, Thaumatomyia glabra. These flies are just so beautiful - their shape, their colours, their everything!

For more videos like this, follow me on IG at @garbage.nobility and/or check my personal arthropod related tag #garbagearthropodsetc to see all of my arthropod related posts in one place.

 
       

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Alfredo Colon
8/16/2018

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

grass fly (Thaumatomyia glabra)  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 5/26/2019

Last Updated:

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