Figures 5.1


Males of the Arctic fly Rhamphomyia nigrita (Diptera: Empididae) hunt for prey in swarms of Aedes mosquitoes (lower mid-right of drawing) and carry the prey to a specific visual marker of the swarm site (left of drawing).
Figures 5.1. Males of the Arctic fly Rhamphomyia nigrita (Diptera: Empididae) hunt for prey in swarms of Aedes mosquitoes (lower mid-right of drawing) and carry the prey to a specific visual marker of the swarm site (left of drawing).

Swarms of both the empidids and the mosquitoes form near conspicuous landmarks, including refuse heaps or oil drums that are common in parts of the tundra. Within the mating swarm (upper left), a male empidid rises towards a female hovering above, they pair, and the prey is transferred to the female; the mating pair alights (lower far right) and the female feeds as they copulate. Females app ear to obtain food only via males and, as individual prey items are small, must mate repeatedly to obtain sufficient nutrients to develop a batch of eggs. (After Downes 1970)

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