Brine Fly Images

Brine Fly Images, Facts and Information:

Ephydra cinerea, Ephydra hians

• Brine Flies are small, non-biting flies with slender bodies, short antennae, and long legs. Adults are typically dark gray to black and have a shiny or metallic appearance. They measure about ¼ inch in length.
• Brine Flies are found along saline and alkaline shorelines, including salt flats, playas, and coastal marshes, throughout North America and other regions of the world. They are especially abundant around the Great Salt Lake in Utah and other hypersaline environments.
• Brine Flies feed primarily on microscopic algae and organic matter associated with saline waters. Adults do not bite or feed on blood. Larvae live in brine-saturated mud or water and graze on algae and detritus.
• Brine Flies play an important ecological role as a major food source for migratory shorebirds, waterfowl, and other wildlife that gather around salt lakes.
• Brine Flies complete their life cycle rapidly in warm conditions, often producing multiple generations per year. Pupae can survive temporary drying, allowing populations to persist in fluctuating lake environments.
• A group of brine flies can be called a “swarm” of flies.

I hope you enjoy viewing my Brine Fly photos.