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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Gauromydas heros
Diptera / Mydidae
Gauromydas heros is a giant Neotropical fly, with documented body lengths reaching approximately seven centimetres. Its immature stages develop in the waste chambers of leaf-cutting ant nests before moving upward through the soil to pupate.
Read the species accountThe species can reach about 70 mm in body length. Diagnostic features of Gauromydas include a strong ventral ridge on the hind tibia, a prominent apical spur and an elongated terminal antennal portion. [1]
Historical observations place larvae in waste chambers of Atta nests. Mature larvae ascend through the soil to pupate approximately 10–20 cm below the surface. [1]
Male adults have been recorded visiting flowers. Historical accounts indicate that females apparently do not feed. Larvae in ant-nest refuse were reported as feeding on other immature insects, including scarab beetle larvae. [1]
The 2015 revision retained G. heros and described two additional species of Gauromydas. [1]
Zootaxa 4048 · Accessed 2026-10-13
I ICCAF, Simião, Santana and Puker · Accessed 2026-10-13
GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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