{"id":3445,"date":"2025-07-31T17:22:20","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/?p=3445"},"modified":"2026-06-12T17:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T17:26:08","slug":"2025-07-hammerhead-fly-in-protected-forest-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/posts\/2025-07-hammerhead-fly-in-protected-forest-en\/","title":{"rendered":"A hammerhead fly showing off in a protected forest on the ecuadorian coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>T<\/strong>he hammerhead fly (<em>Plagiocephalus latifrons<\/em>) is one of the Neotropics&#8217; most bizarre spectacles, boasting an astonishingly wide head with eyes perched at the ends of long, tubular stalks. Only the males sport these extreme &#8220;antlers,&#8221; using them to headbutt, shove, and battle rival suitors for mating rights. Interestingly, while most stalk-eyed flies belong to the family <em>Diopsidae<\/em>, the hammerhead fly belongs to the picture-winged fly family (<em>Ulidiidae<\/em>). This makes their striking appearance an incredible example of convergent evolution. As members of the tribe <em>Pterocallini<\/em>, they also feature the family&#8217;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 &#8220;La Perla&#8221; protected forest, nestled in Ecuador&#8217;s coastal province of Esmeraldas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The hammerhead fly (Plagiocephalus latifrons) is one of the Neotropics&#8217; most bizarre spectacles, boasting an astonishingly wide head with eyes 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