The other day, regular readers will have read (or I hope you will have read) my article on the subject of Hong Kong dragonfly swarms. In it I explained how a spectacularly tawdry internet newsgroup that usually sends out nothing but soft pornography and invitations to join the foreign exchange market, occasionally sends out something worthwhile.This is another one from their series [old_hongkong] When Insect Attack what Happen and I am posting it because for the life of me I cannot identify the creatures pictured.
Any ideas?
They almost look like some form of mosquito or Mayfly type of insect. I'm not seeing the long trailers off the abdomen, though. Lacewing? Hm. Not green enough from what I can tell.
ReplyDeleteWas the photo taken in China, or elsewhere?
As far as I can discern, they appear to be Diptera (true flies) - possibly Chironomids (non-biting midges). It is the males that swarm, and therefore all or most of these insects will almost certainly be males. The males are harmless, even in those species of fly which do bite humans - you will never be bitten by a male midge, mosquito or horse-fly (nor, incidentally, stung by a male wasp or bee). So the young lady in the photo can relax and appreciate the spectacle.
ReplyDelete(When photos like this are posted, as much information as possible on the location, date and other relevant factors as is available needs to be supplied. There are millions of insect species in the world, and such details make reaching a determination much less time-consuming. I appreciate that not all sources will provide such basic data.)