Snakefly

This morning Pete and I had a long walk around Brampton Wood, which will be the focus of my survey work in the coming week. While I recorded the plant species and noted the characteristics of the various habitats, Pete attempted to search for insects, though the cold, rather damp conditions were far from ideal.

His final catch was small, but included this snake-fly Xanthostigma xanthostigma. These are rarely seen, largely because the larvae live in dead wood, and the rather immobile adults spend much of their time high up in trees.

The prothorax (front section of the thorax) is elongate, giving the appearance of a short-necked giraffe. The build is moderately slender, with blackish body and a network of black veins on two pairs of rather similar wings. I was quite struck by the emerald-green eyes, and the colours refracted from the glassy wings. Snakeflies are related to mayflies and alderflies.

The adults seem lethargic and docile, sitting on tree bark or foliage. In fact they are predatory, with a particular liking for aphids.The name snakefly refers to the use of the long prothorax to angle-back the head before striking at prey like a snake. Isn't nature remarkable?