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A new thread to bring together those flies that mimic other species of insects.
This specimen gave me this idea, I would have bet it was an Hymenopteran

See: Loxocera hoffmannseggi (Psilidae)

It looks like it is mimicing an Ichneumonid.

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See: Bumblebee mimic

Portschinskia loewi (Oestridae: Hypodermatidae).

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See: Bumblebee mimic
Merodon equestris, Syrphidae, note the way wings held across abdomen, typical of bumblebees.

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Several Syrphidae e.g., Temnostoma spp. such as T. bombylans and T. vespiforme mimic wasps, the latter species mimics Vespula and Dolichovespula spp.

See: HERE

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I think for social wasp mimics, the tephritid genus Bactrocera takes some beating - see
http://www.eppo.o...rocera.htm and
http://commons.wi...rsalis.jpg

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See: Vespa crabro mimic

Milesia crabroniformis (Syrphidae) mimics Vespa crabro (Vespidae).

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This is a North American Physocephala sp. (Conopidae) that closely resembles a Potter Wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae). In fact, when I first saw this fly on a flower I thought it was a Potter wasp.
Length: 10.5mm excluding antennae. 19 September 2007, New Brunswick, Canada.

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Tabanidae, Hybomitra zonalis, female. 9 July 2005, NB, Canada. Length: range 14-18mm.
Black and yellow banding is quite common in many insects and is thought to be seen as a warning pattern to vertebrate predators. Black & Yellow banding, of course, is the basic colour pattern of stinging wasps which presumably form the model for this and the other wasp mimics.

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Solitary Bee mimic: Stratiomyidae > Stratiomys longicornis

See: HERE

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Wasp like syrphidic: Ceriana vespiformis

Please see here: http://commons.wi...2007-2.jpg

Joaquim Gaspar
Lisboa

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... and, of course, the "Drone-fly" (Eristalis tenax), whose model is the honey bee drone. In this photo the similarity is amazing:

http://commons.wi...007-3a.jpg

Joaquim Gaspar
Lisboa

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C. vespiformis is very similar to Conops flavipes. But here it is convergent evolution, I think.
Both mimic wasps.

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Sepsidae flies have an appearance similar to some ants.
But I think this is another case of convergent evolution. Am I right? Anybody contests this assumption? Thank you.

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If I remember correctly some Tephritidae mimics Salticidae spiders!?

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Anything that runs around on the ground or on leaves and looks like an aggressive venemous predator has my vote for a mimic.

See: Sepsidae > Australosepsis cf. niveipennis : HERE

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Need a photo of a Rhagoletis from behind:D
According to Marshall "the wing-banding pattern....seen from behind.. makes the fly look remarkedly like a jumping spider (the bands look like spider legs)"
Who wants to tangle with a jumping spider?

Edit: Further reading indicates that the mimicry is to fool jumping spiders as these spiders are the major predators. "Greene et al. (1987) and Whitman et al. (1988) showed that Z. vittigera mimics jumping spiders and is significantly protected from these common predators on its host plant. During the fly's wing flicking displays, its wing pattern resembles the legs and the abdominal spots the eyes of a spider in its own territorial display."

See: Reference here

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Several Asilids in the genus Laphria are mimics of bumlebees, e.g., Asilidae > Laphria affinis (male)
SEE: HERE

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Crawfish mimicry? :D

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See: Salticidae jumping spider mimic

Ceratitis capitata (Tephritidae) mimics Salticidae jumping spiders.

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I think we can put this in the same league as the "Alligator Bug" (Homoptera: Fulgora laternaria), the head of which does look like an alligator and would be great mimicry apart from the discrepancy of habitat and size between the model and mimic:o.

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A classic Bumblebee mimic by the syrphid: Syrphidae > Arctophila bombiformis (female)
SEE: HERE

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Wasplike syrphids

http://www.dipter...post_40278

Wasplike conopid

http://www.dipter...post_40326

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Sepsidae flies mimic winged ants quite well, like this one (a Australosepsis sp.?)

Joaquim Gaspar

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Perhaps we should look at this again - particularly at the newly-posted gallery image of Rhagoletis completa (see http://www.dipter...to_id=2344).
While I was scanning recent posts, I saw the thumbnail image of this picture out of the corner of my eye, and wondered why someone had posted an image of a scorpion (rather than a crayfish)- perhaps a potential predator might make the same mistake, and leave it alone? :)

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Tony, really this is quite distinctive. Even in dorsal view (see the back of the fly) it seems a salticid spider!! (very convincing) . See here >>
http://www.dipter...to_id=2344

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When i saw the picture of Rhagoletis from afar, (or without glasses :P)it looks like a spider backwards.. The bold bands on the wings as the spider forelegs and the fly's head as the spider's abdomen....

What about Celyphidae? Does looking like a beetle confer any protection? And I believe their flight isnt that great either?as mentioned in the Threads.

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Eristalis intricaria as bumblebee mimic:


and Xylota segnis does a good sawfly impression IMO

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The nice pair of lateral + dorsal photos that Tony T posted earlier in this thread (see below) show a very dark specimen of Physocephala furcillata...which is pretty much the only conopine that seems to make it as far northeast as New Brunswick in North America.