Tachinidae (Tachinid Flies)

Could be Phorocera sp.. Tachinid are hard to identify even to genus level.

Tachinidae is a large and rather variable family of true flies within the insect order Diptera, with more than 8,200 known species and many more to be discovered.

Insects in this family are commonly called Tachinid flies; they have no common name.

They occur in almost all habitats all over the world.

Tachinid flies are relatively soft bodied, from small to large size. They may be drab, brightly coloured, sometimes they mimic wasps, many do not have the typical grey-black, bristly faces.

A typical characteristic of this family is the fact that most of them are parasitoids (the larvae develop inside a living host, ultimately killing it), and a few are parasitic (do not kill the host).

Only a few species are host species-specific. As such, many are important natural enemies of major pests. Some species are being used in biological pest control.

The Australian Leafroller Fly is a relatively small fly, having a body length of approximately 5mm. The overall body is black striped with white.

Same as the species above, photographed on a different day Thursday, 3 January 2008 in the same location.

Photographed in a suburban garden in the Gap, Brisbane, on Tuesday, 1 January 2008. A couple of these small flies were landing on the wet leaves of a citrus tree.