Fossil Fly Sex
(Image credit: Dr. Huang)
A mating pair of strashilids, fossil insects from the Jurassic that resemble modern aquatic flies.
Male Fly
(Image credit: Dr. Huang)
A male strashilid fly with grasping limbs from the Jurassic, found in Inner Mongolia.
Male and Female Flies
(Image credit: Dr. Huang)
A reconstruction of the male strashilid fly (right) and the female (left).
Winged Male
(Image credit: Dr. Huang)
This fossil strashilid, a male, reveals its large, membranous wing.
Fly Ecology
(Image credit: Dr. Huang)
This illustration captures the likely ecology of Jurassic strashilids, from the larval stage to winged adulthood. Finally, the flies shed their wings and return to the water to mate and die.