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Index of Subjects Oh Stephen, I wish I were better informed! I have just started to get interested is the amazing variety of life forms and how they propagate their kind. I will bring back the book "The Sex Life of Insects" when I next go home ( Port Greville - where most of my books are stored) and check this out. I learned about these flies ( the males are amazing) for a workshop I took with Dave McCorquadale, so perhaps he will jump in. Thanks for your helpful questions. Cheers, Joan Stephen Shaw wrote: > 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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