The hammerhead fly (Plagiocephalus latifrons) is one of the Neotropics’ most bizarre spectacles, boasting an astonishingly wide head with eyes perched at the ends of long, tubular stalks. Only the males sport these extreme “antlers,” using them to headbutt, shove, and battle rival suitors for mating rights. Interestingly, while most stalk-eyed flies belong to the family Diopsidae, the hammerhead fly belongs to the picture-winged fly family (Ulidiidae). This makes their striking appearance an incredible example of convergent evolution. As members of the tribe Pterocallini, they also feature the family’s signature, beautifully decorated wings mottled with dark spots and bands. I was lucky enough to witness a group of these bizarre flies performing an intricate courtship dance across a tree trunk in the “La Perla” protected forest, nestled in Ecuador’s coastal province of Esmeraldas.