TWO species of fly that prey on marine snails have been discovered in the
mangroves of central Queensland. “They’re a real curiosity. Insects that attack
marine animals are very rare,” says Stephen McKillup of Central Queensland
University, who made the find.
The flies, members of the genus Sarcophaga, deposit live larvae on
the snail, which start eating its flesh. The snail vainly tries to defend itself
by generating huge amounts of mucus. “It writhes and then basically does a huge
snot,” says McKillup. The discovery will appear in the Australian Journal of
Entomology.
