Thread: I'm tempted to become a creationist...

... just kidding. Sometimes, though, the stuff evolution comes up with is quite amazing. Have a look at the wings on this fly:





It's a tephritid fly with ant or spider mimics on its wings.

WTF? was my main response upon seeing this. More photos and details here. Still not sure if I'm being duped or not. Thoughts?

Well, I thought the explanation that the fly's body is camouflaged by being the same colour as the foliage it normally rests on, so the only thing immediately visible is the wing markings, was pretty good. And it seems it's not the only one with these kind of markings.

I'm also inclined to go with the idea that it's spider rather than ant mimicry. If the insect is invisible or difficult to see and it can flap or wiggle its wings when others approach, those spider markings moving around would definitely be a way to put other spiders off or cause other insects to think twice about getting too close to a predatory spider.

I want to think of the insect depictions as decoys. Like if I'm another insect looking for prey to kill, I might think the wings are viable targets.

But they're not. They're an extremity. Depending on what I'm using as my natural weapon, my attack might not even harm the wings. Like if I stab them all I'm doing is punching a small hole. If I try to grab them with my fangs, he might be able to shake them free.

Originally Posted by Zwirko

... just kidding. Sometimes, though, the stuff evolution comes up with is quite amazing. Have a look at the wings on this fly:





It's a tephritid fly with ant or spider mimics on its wings.

WTF? was my main response upon seeing this. More photos and details here. Still not sure if I'm being duped or not. Thoughts?

Evolution is not an entity.
It comes up with nothing.