Long-nosed Swamp Fly

Eurimyia stipata

The Long-nosed Swamp Fly is a small insect that loves to buzz around wetlands. With its long nose, it sips nectar from flowers and helps plants grow by spreading pollen.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Long-nosed Swamp Fly is a slender insect often sporting iridescent green or metallic blue body segments. It has notably large, reddish compound eyes and a distinctive, elongated proboscis that resembles a long 'nose'. Its delicate, clear wings are typically veined with brown or black.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderDipteraFamilySyrphidaeGenusEurimyia

Long-nosed Swamp Fly

Interesting facts

Baby swamp flies start their lives as wiggly, worm-like creatures in pond water!

Some swamp flies can glitter with metallic rainbow colors in bright sunlight!

Their 'nose' is actually a super-long tongue used for slurping up sweet nectar!

They can actually 'taste' with their feet, sensing sugars just by landing!

Special abilities

Long-nosed Swamp Fly has an extra-long proboscis that helps them sip nectar from deep flowers like a tiny, flexible straw.

Long-nosed Swamp Fly can expertly fly through dense swamp vegetation because of their agile wings, avoiding obstacles with ease.

Long-nosed Swamp Fly has larvae that live underwater, which helps them develop safely from many land-based predators.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 15-25 mm
Size: 8-15 mm
Lifespan: 15-30 days
Flight Speed: 12 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

These flies sip nectar from flowers like a hummingbird and help plants make seeds!

Age differences: Larvae consume decaying organic matter and microorganisms in water, adults feed on nectar.

Primary Foods

nectar
plant sap
pollen

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Rana catesbeiana

Bullfrogs often snatch flying insects.

hunts

Widow Skimmer

Libellula luctuosa

Dragonflies are aerial predators of smaller flies.

pollinates

Fragrant Water Lily

Nymphaea odorata

The fly's long proboscis reaches deep nectar.

eaten by

Little Brown Bat

Myotis lucifugus

Bats actively hunt flying insects at dusk.

Traits

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Herbivorous

This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.