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Index of Subjects Hi Joan, Like a few of us out here I have an interest in flies (so-called true flies, Diptera), so I noticed your "dancing fly (long-tailed fly)" comment. I checked out the Olivia Judson link given, briefly, but didn't see this mentioned there, or did I just overlook it? Dance fly is the occasional common name used for members for the dipteran family Empididae, on account of the interesting male flight-swarm behaviour in some species, while long-legged fly is the eponymous name for the family next door to the empidids, Dolichopodidae, some of which have elaborate courtship behaviours. But what's a long-tailed fly, or does the name refer to the different, much older insect group, perhaps the mayflies (Ephemeroptera, not Diptera)? Also, what's the asexual reproduction connection, which isn't what either dolichos or empidids usually do? In fact the best known story about empidids (the balloon fly variety) could be said to be about obtaining real sex based on empty promises made by a male, a situation also known in other groups closer to home, of course. Cheers, Steve ***************************************** Quoting Joan Czapalay <joancz@ns.sympatico.ca>: > Fascinating! Thanks, Gerald. I have been collecting books on sex in > nature, and will look for Judson's book, Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to > All Creation:... > There is a dancing fly ( long-tailed fly) that I want to learn more about. > > Gerald Ruderman wrote: >> Here is a link to an article about small animals, bdelloid rotifers, >> that evolve and reproduce asexually. http://judson.blogs.nytimes.com/ >>
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