Stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae) spotted (a first for me) capering around in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, China.
October 30, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae) spotted (a first for me) capering around in Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, China.
'Stalk-eyed flies' are the masters of cheating off someone else's test.
Lots of bugs have weird, long antler-like projections, but flies in family 'Diopsidae' take the bold choice of putting their eyes on the ends of those projections.
Let's talk about what evolution is up to here.
(📷: kietbull)
Lots of bugs have weird, long antler-like projections, but flies in family 'Diopsidae' take the bold choice of putting their eyes on the ends of those projections.
Let's talk about what evolution is up to here.
(📷: kietbull)
January 20, 2026 at 2:18 PM
'Stalk-eyed flies' are the masters of cheating off someone else's test.
Lots of bugs have weird, long antler-like projections, but flies in family 'Diopsidae' take the bold choice of putting their eyes on the ends of those projections.
Let's talk about what evolution is up to here.
(📷: kietbull)
Lots of bugs have weird, long antler-like projections, but flies in family 'Diopsidae' take the bold choice of putting their eyes on the ends of those projections.
Let's talk about what evolution is up to here.
(📷: kietbull)
O======|=\ /=|======O >> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30186714@N07/3229192078/" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">http://www.flickr.com/photos/30186714@N07/3229192078/
Diopsid stalk-eyed fly. Bullfight anyone?
4-5 mm insect. flies from leaf to leaf. very agile.I aimed frontally to put both eyes in focus. Imagine being a bull fighter and facing a bull like this with its eyes on its horns and horns on its back.!! LOL. Wikipedia adds: Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae (sometimes called Centrioncidae). The family is distinguished by the possession of eyestalks: projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. Females show a strong preference for roosting and mating with males with longer eyestalks, and males compete with each other to “control” these lekking aggregations by a ritualised contest that involves facing each other and comparing their relative eyespans, often with the front legs spread out to add emphasis. view large: farm4.static.flickr.com/3318/3229192078_77868da842_b.jpg
www.flickr.com
November 22, 2013 at 9:25 PM
O======|=\ /=|======O >> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30186714@N07/3229192078/" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">http://www.flickr.com/photos/30186714@N07/3229192078/
Funny you should say that..one of the participants of #FlySchool24 is from India and brought us all this fab gift of a Diopsidae brooch - a wonderful surprise
August 10, 2024 at 3:01 PM
Funny you should say that..one of the participants of #FlySchool24 is from India and brought us all this fab gift of a Diopsidae brooch - a wonderful surprise
The eyes have it! #FlyDay. Both the males & females of #StalkEyed #Flies, Fam. #Diopsidae, have their eyes (& antennae – a character absent in other families) located at the ends of eye stalks. Male’s eyes are more widely spaced; likely a sexually-selected trait. Mt. #Kinabalu #Sabah #Malaysia
April 4, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The eyes have it! #FlyDay. Both the males & females of #StalkEyed #Flies, Fam. #Diopsidae, have their eyes (& antennae – a character absent in other families) located at the ends of eye stalks. Male’s eyes are more widely spaced; likely a sexually-selected trait. Mt. #Kinabalu #Sabah #Malaysia
forgot the link www.inaturalist.org/taxa/83944-D...
Stalk-eyed Flies (Family Diopsidae)
Stalk-eyed flies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by the possession of 'eyestalks': projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at th...
www.inaturalist.org
May 7, 2025 at 5:46 PM
forgot the link www.inaturalist.org/taxa/83944-D...
you can tell the similar-looking Diopsidae apart from them because they also have the antenna at the ends of the stalks.
May 7, 2025 at 5:45 PM
you can tell the similar-looking Diopsidae apart from them because they also have the antenna at the ends of the stalks.
woot, just discovered there's even #Tephritidae that pull this off :D www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1198003...
so there's stalk-eyed Richardiidae, Diopsidae, Tephritidae. anything else I missed?
so there's stalk-eyed Richardiidae, Diopsidae, Tephritidae. anything else I missed?
Genus Pelmatops
Pelmatops is a genus of tephritid fruit flies. (Source: Wikipedia, 'Pelmatops', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelmatops, CC BY-SA 3.0 . Photo: (c) Luis Mata, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded ...
www.inaturalist.org
May 7, 2025 at 4:43 PM
woot, just discovered there's even #Tephritidae that pull this off :D www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1198003...
so there's stalk-eyed Richardiidae, Diopsidae, Tephritidae. anything else I missed?
so there's stalk-eyed Richardiidae, Diopsidae, Tephritidae. anything else I missed?
thanks, didn't know these :) I added some pairs to #DuoNat to learn to distinguish them from Plagiocephalus and Diopsidae (which are the only ones I knew + photographed)
duo-nat.web.app?pairId=3805&...
(check the short tutorial behind the help button)
#biodiversity #iNaturalist #diptera #flies
duo-nat.web.app?pairId=3805&...
(check the short tutorial behind the help button)
#biodiversity #iNaturalist #diptera #flies
May 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
thanks, didn't know these :) I added some pairs to #DuoNat to learn to distinguish them from Plagiocephalus and Diopsidae (which are the only ones I knew + photographed)
duo-nat.web.app?pairId=3805&...
(check the short tutorial behind the help button)
#biodiversity #iNaturalist #diptera #flies
duo-nat.web.app?pairId=3805&...
(check the short tutorial behind the help button)
#biodiversity #iNaturalist #diptera #flies
Stalk-eyed fly.
Diopsidae Sp teleopsis Dalmanni
Diopsidae Sp teleopsis Dalmanni
May 29, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Stalk-eyed fly.
Diopsidae Sp teleopsis Dalmanni
Diopsidae Sp teleopsis Dalmanni
#Stalkeyedflies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by most members of the family possessing "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes a
August 20, 2025 at 5:26 AM
#Stalkeyedflies are insects of the fly family Diopsidae. The family is distinguished from most other flies by most members of the family possessing "eyestalks": projections from the sides of the head with the eyes a
The fly on the left is one of two species of stalk-eyed flies in North America.
They do not see eye to eye with their more recognizable relatives from around the world.
#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Macrophotography
#Diopsidae
#FlydayFriday
#FlyFriday
#FlyDay
#BugSky
They do not see eye to eye with their more recognizable relatives from around the world.
#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Macrophotography
#Diopsidae
#FlydayFriday
#FlyFriday
#FlyDay
#BugSky
January 31, 2025 at 4:25 PM
The fly on the left is one of two species of stalk-eyed flies in North America.
They do not see eye to eye with their more recognizable relatives from around the world.
#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Macrophotography
#Diopsidae
#FlydayFriday
#FlyFriday
#FlyDay
#BugSky
They do not see eye to eye with their more recognizable relatives from around the world.
#NaturalHistoryCollections
#Macrophotography
#Diopsidae
#FlydayFriday
#FlyFriday
#FlyDay
#BugSky
Steeloogvlieg (Diopsidae) uit Gambia: bizarre beesten met hun ogen en antennen op steeltjes. Gedetermineerd tot Diasemopsis fasciata door de geweldige Hans Feijen, een groot steeloogvliegkenner en ontzettend vriendelijk mens die, zo begrijp ik net, vorige maand is overleden. #ElkeDagEenInsect
November 7, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Steeloogvlieg (Diopsidae) uit Gambia: bizarre beesten met hun ogen en antennen op steeltjes. Gedetermineerd tot Diasemopsis fasciata door de geweldige Hans Feijen, een groot steeloogvliegkenner en ontzettend vriendelijk mens die, zo begrijp ik net, vorige maand is overleden. #ElkeDagEenInsect
In Diopsidae, yes, but I am not sure eye stalk evolution in Themara has ever been studied.
October 18, 2025 at 9:46 PM
In Diopsidae, yes, but I am not sure eye stalk evolution in Themara has ever been studied.
Just returned from a 10-day expedition in Kuala Belalong, Brunei, with @taxonexpeditions.bsky.social. We found many stalk-eyed flies, mostly Diopsidae, but also these Themara true fruit flies (Tephritidae). Not sure which species: both T. ampla and T. hirsuta have been found there before.
October 18, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Just returned from a 10-day expedition in Kuala Belalong, Brunei, with @taxonexpeditions.bsky.social. We found many stalk-eyed flies, mostly Diopsidae, but also these Themara true fruit flies (Tephritidae). Not sure which species: both T. ampla and T. hirsuta have been found there before.
gloup gloup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgeaiEuFc0 http://readyorknot.tumblr.com/post/133584050285 #diopsidae cc @PassionEntomo https://t.co/YHc8ef9ZwT
Stalk Eye Fly.
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2024 at 4:34 PM
gloup gloup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNgeaiEuFc0 http://readyorknot.tumblr.com/post/133584050285 #diopsidae cc @PassionEntomo https://t.co/YHc8ef9ZwT
La mue des mouches diopsidae est particulièrement impressionnante! http://passion-entomologie.fr/diopsidae-biologie-ecologie-evolution/ https://t.co/3018yoNHYI
Les mouches Diopsidae : des yeux loin perchés !
Les mouches Diopsidae possèdent des yeux perchés au bout de longs pédoncules oculaires : venez découvrir leur écologie, leur biologie et leur évolution
passion-entomologie.fr
November 25, 2024 at 4:34 PM
La mue des mouches diopsidae est particulièrement impressionnante! http://passion-entomologie.fr/diopsidae-biologie-ecologie-evolution/ https://t.co/3018yoNHYI
Les Diopsidae, des mouches aux yeux loin perchés, via @PassionEntomo http://passion-entomologie.fr/diopsidae-biologie-ecologie-evolution/
November 25, 2024 at 4:34 PM
Les Diopsidae, des mouches aux yeux loin perchés, via @PassionEntomo http://passion-entomologie.fr/diopsidae-biologie-ecologie-evolution/
New #checklist dataset in @gbif.org: A revision of the four Afrotropical and Palaearctic Sphyracephala Say (Diptera, Diopsidae) with an illustrated overview of the other five Sphyracephala (25 species occurrences) https://www.gbif.org/dataset/b61e1f46-07df-41f0-84ab-1d49e78b9253
June 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
New #checklist dataset in @gbif.org: A revision of the four Afrotropical and Palaearctic Sphyracephala Say (Diptera, Diopsidae) with an illustrated overview of the other five Sphyracephala (25 species occurrences) https://www.gbif.org/dataset/b61e1f46-07df-41f0-84ab-1d49e78b9253
This interesting being is a Stalk-eyed fly and are part of the fly family Diopsidae.
#nature #insect #stalkeyed #diopsidae #eyes
#nature #insect #stalkeyed #diopsidae #eyes
April 3, 2026 at 7:52 AM
This interesting being is a Stalk-eyed fly and are part of the fly family Diopsidae.
#nature #insect #stalkeyed #diopsidae #eyes
#nature #insect #stalkeyed #diopsidae #eyes
Molecular phylogenetics reveals Eocene origin and out-of-Africa dispersals of the stalk-eyed flies (Diptera: Schizophora: Diopsidae) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41493422/
January 8, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Molecular phylogenetics reveals Eocene origin and out-of-Africa dispersals of the stalk-eyed flies (Diptera: Schizophora: Diopsidae) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41493422/
Molecular phylogenetics reveals Eocene origin and out-of-Africa dispersals of the stalk-eyed flies (Diptera: Schizophora: Diopsidae) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41493422/
January 8, 2026 at 7:06 AM
Molecular phylogenetics reveals Eocene origin and out-of-Africa dispersals of the stalk-eyed flies (Diptera: Schizophora: Diopsidae) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41493422/