[Pollinator] You might not believe this one

[Peter Bernhardt]

Female empid flies are carnivorous.  If the male does not present her with
a nice, freshly killed prey item she will refuse to mate with him and may
eat him.  Some emptid species solve the problem with males offering a fake
insect made of silk or silk wrapped in tiny insects.  Empids also consume
flower nectar and probably pollinate a number of plants around the world.

In Australia, the greenhood orchids (Pterostylis) bloom in late winter or
early spring.  A number of them are pollinated by male fungus gnats
(Mycetophylidae).  The irritable lip petal of the orchid has a dummy,
female gnat.  When the male lands on it he is flipped into the column of
the orchid and carries of the pollen when the lip relaxes and lowers.
There is no edible reward.  Rudie Kuiter, author and photographer of,
"Orchid Pollinators of Victoria" (4th edition) photographed a new twist on
the greenhood story.  The plumed greenhood (P. plumosa) wears a dummy
female on the tip of its labellum that mimics the body of a female emptied
fly.  You guessed it, the males approach the fake female with dead insects
and some of the "prom gifts" are dead, male, fungus gnats.  This is not the
only greenhood with a plumed lip petals so other empid-pollinated orchids
may exist in Australia.

I'm hoping that Rudie will publish his results in a peer-reviewed journal.
His book is published by a small local press.  Interested in purchasing a
copy? Write Rudie Kuiter <rudiekuiter at optusnet.com.au>.
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