Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Omnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Camouflage

Status

Common

About

A small, boldly patterned fly found across eastern North America, its wings marked with dark bands and its abdomen tipped bright orange. Males wave their patterned wings in slow, deliberate arcs to signal rivals and attract mates, a display that gives the species its name.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Diptera

Family

Ulidiidae

Genus

Delphinia

Species

Delphinia picta