Ochthera
Sign in to savethumb|Ochthera mantis Ochthera is a genus of flies in the family of shore flies (Ephydridae). The genus is distinctive because of the swollen raptorial forelegs. The larvae are predaceous on midge larvae while the adults feed on midges and mosquitoes. The genus is found around the world with about 37 species. The species Ochthera chalybescens has been shown to prey on African malaria vectors.
Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassInsecta
- OrderDiptera
- FamilyEphydridae
Observations37
Groupinsecta
via GBIF · iNaturalist · CC0
Article
3 sectionsContents
- Behaviour
- Species
- References
thumb|Ochthera mantis Ochthera is a genus of flies in the family of shore flies (Ephydridae). The genus is distinctive because of the swollen raptorial forelegs. The larvae are predaceous on midge larvae while the adults feed on midges and mosquitoes. The genus is found around the world with about 37 species. The species Ochthera chalybescens has been shown to prey on African malaria vectors.
==Behaviour== It has been noted that foreleg waving may be involved in displays and UV reflective patches on the face and fore coxae may be involved.