Master Gardeners of Ventura County
University of California
Master Gardeners of Ventura County

Posts Tagged: Tachinidae

The End Is Near

The parasitic fly (family Tachinidae) never had a chance. It went from floral visitor to spider prey to spider dinner when it made a single solitary mistake: it inadvertently fell into a sticky web. Its life-and-death struggle in our back yard did not...

Two cellar spiders work together to capture a Tachinid fly in their web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Two cellar spiders work together to capture a Tachinid fly in their web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Two cellar spiders work together to capture a Tachinid fly in their web. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

While one spider wraps the fly, another bites it in the head, paralyzing it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
While one spider wraps the fly, another bites it in the head, paralyzing it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

While one spider wraps the fly, another bites it in the head, paralyzing it. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the fatal bite. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of the fatal bite. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Close-up of the fatal bite. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Posted on Tuesday, December 13, 2011 at 8:40 PM

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