Oh I INSTANTLY love this one. It's a bug, it does the whole "opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life" thing I generally build my decks around, it synergizes with a bunch of AWESOME creature types (which hopefully means they're adding more of those) and also makes tokens, another thing I generally adore.

I always did think just going mono-black would be pretty fun too. Limiting your colors is kinda fun too, 'cuz a smaller card pool to pick from also means I don't need to agonized over all the cards I WISH I could add to a deck as much!

Plus, WHAT a design! It seems to be a swarm of mosquitos coming together to form a giant rhino beetle! AWESOME!!

Wait youre right he IS made out of mosquito fly things!? Why are they pretending to be a more beloved charismatic insect are they insecure 🥺

I guess I can try a pure black commander deck I wont DIE without green thallids and oozes

I think he's made out of those mosquitos the same way that a vampire is made of bats! He's turning into a swarm!

This does make me wonder if he can turn into a the bug equivalent of a wolf. What is the bug equivalent of a wolf?

It's gotta be a rove beetle, or if it shouldnt be a beetle because he's already a beetle, maybe one of the communal assassin bugs

Robber Fly, definitely. They've always seemed very wolf-like to me. Plus they're voracious predators!

"little schemer", hand-punched, 2023

7.5" x 5.5"

spotted an absolute delight on my walk today, this is only the second time I've ever seen an adult botfly and the first time I was able to photograph one! I think this one is a rodent botfly in genus Cuterebra.

this was an insect I've been so excited to finally see in person!

衛生害虫博覧会～身近に潜む生活害虫～ (kaiyodo)

@bogleech

Pakubrazi

Image by Thomas Baxa, © TSR Inc.

[A monster I had never heard of until reading through Dark Sun monster books, as it never appeared anywhere besides Terrors Beyond Tyr. Which is a shame, because it is completely my jam. The art seems to be the result of confusion between Baxa and the art director. The text describes a cross between a fly and a tick, not a flea, and its abilities involve turning parts of its body into humanoid chunks, which is not illustrated. Maybe that’s supposed to be suggested by the image of a fly on one wing and a man on the other? I dunno what that’s about.]

Pakubrazi CR 6 CE Aberration This creature resembles a humanoid flea with four membranous wings. Its arms and legs are heavily muscled at the base, bend oddly and end in surprisingly delicate hands and feet.

A pakubrazi is a parasite of civilization, making hit and run attacks to drain humanoids of their blood. Although they can survive on animal blood, they find it flavorless and unsatisfying, and so go out of their way to taste as many different kinds of people as possible. Pakubrazi occasionally work together, and may even go undercover as a family or business in order to lure in victims.

Their natural weapons are surprisingly delicate for the monster’s size, but then, a pakubrazi rarely intends to kill its prey, instead drinking their blood and leaving them to recover so it can feed again. Most pakubrazi carry weapons in case they do intend to deal permanent damage. A pakubrazi can shapeshift its body in pieces, creating a hideous hybrid form, with its head temporarily human, or wings and feelers bursting from a seemingly normal elven body. This spectacle is distracting and disgusting, but does interfere with the monster’s ability to hold onto prey. If working in groups, typically one pakubrazi will engage in this flashing form to weaken enemies while its allies feed, and then switch off after a few rounds of draining blood.

The most sinister aspect of a pakubrazi is their ability to curse humanoid creatures. A pakubrazi may lay this curse on an unconscious survivor of their feeding, or may spread the curse simply by brushing up against a passer-by while disguised as a humanoid. A creature cursed by a pakubrazi loses control of its mind and body when threatened or stressed, transforming into a pakubrazi-like monster and lashing out at its allies with insect-like claws and mouthparts. In combination with a pakubrazi’s own ability to change only parts of its form, it can be very confusing to determine who is one of the monsters and who is one of their victims. A town can tear itself apart with paranoia attempting to root out the shapeshifter, whereupon most pakubrazi will take their leave and move to another settlement.

A pakubrazi is about ten feet tall in its natural form. They are ungainly fliers, and usually prefer to remain on the ground unless they need to make a quick getaway.

Keep reading

I was just remembering this one and wondering if it had appeared anywhere but that single book. I guess not!

A cross between a tick and a fly is harder to picture but would probably look more like a lousefly

The pakubrazi!

Bee mimic small-headed fly, Psilodera fasciata, Acroceridae, Diptera

Found in South Africa, Psilodera fasciata is a species of small-headed fly. As far as it is known, all species of small-headed flies are parasitoids of spiders. After eggs hatch, larvae seek out spiders, burrow through their body wall, and live inside the spider’s body while developing, but mature larvae pupate outside of the spider. Adults are nectar feeders with an exceptionally long proboscis.

Photo 1-4 by cecileroux, 5-7 by vynbos, and 8-9 by cecileroux

I am CRYING at the size of these flies’ heads. 

Because, for a fly, those heads are comically tiny. But for a bee, which these guys are mimicking, it’s more-or-less the right size. 

and the curved thorax, making it look like the fly is dramatically hunch-backed? FLAWLESS.

10/10 fly 👌👌👌👌

zines: Meditation with Insects by  WhalefallLight

Greater bee fly, Bombylius major, Bombyliidae

Photographed in Switzerland by nadjabaum

[ id: glassamphibians says this is the funniest looking fly who squished his face in, he wants to be a weevil so bad, end id ]

Apparently it’s World Robberfly Day. Happy World Robberfly Day to those who practice!

Tachinid fly (Eudejeania sp.) at Cosanga in Ecuador

Chien C. Lee

will not walk untrained flies

Bald-faced Hornet Fly, Spilomyia fusca, Syrphidae, Diptera

The bald-faced hornet fly is a harmless hoverfly that mimics the bald-faced hornet. It’s found in the eastern United States and Canada.

Photos 1-3 by jdee, 4-5 by rileywalsh, 6 by peterhma, and 7-9 by wyldewastelander

I love the mantidflies that are like “Why settle for looking like a mantis, or looking like a wasp, when I could look like both ridiculously scary insects at the same time? And then, I’ll have my kids crawl into spider egg sacs and live there! And I’ll also have ridiculous star eyes, so nobody will forget my face!”

They must be so impressed with themselves. Truly, they have outdone themselves. They are the scariest insects! Surely, it must be them!

And yet nobody knows what a mantidfly is, except that it’s a less good mantis.They’re not even related :C

(repost with images so you can really appreciate how hard this poor motherfucker is trying)

#1364 - Pterodontia mellii - Halloween Small-headed Fly

Posting for Sian Mawson, and photographed in Welshpool, Perth, on the 27 October. About 10mm long. It doesn’t have a common name, but I’m calling it the Halloween Small-headed Fly because of the colour scheme and time of year. Female P. mellii are mostly orange and significantly larger. 

It’s never too soon to re-appreciate that a lot of adult bot flies are fat and adorable