rhagoletis

Two male Rhagoletis walnut flies joust on an artificial walnut in a lab cage at the University of Arizona. What's an artificial walnut? It's a painted ping pong ball. As long as the ball is the right color and shape, the flies apparently don't mind. Biologist Jeremy Davis uses these flies to study the interaction between fruit quality and fly behavioral ecology. Of course, for the flies it's all about access to females. Technical details. top photo: Lens: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens Body: Canon EOS 20D dSLR Flash: Canon 550EX flash, indirect Settings: ISO 200, f/11, 1/200 sec middle…
Rhagoletis fruit flies mating, Arizona photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 200, f/11, 1/200 sec, backlit by handheld strobe.