Jigsaw was a small reddish fly. He looked like a red version of Gruncle and Jigsaw was the next name on the list, so he became JigsawRG. The students thought it the red was a sexual dimorphism. It wasn’t until examining Jigsaw under the microscope that we noticed some differences in shape.
Results
It turns out that Jigsaw and Gruncle were indeed related. Both are Long-Legged Flies of the Order of true flies (Diptera) and in the Family Dolichopodidae. While Gruncle was ambiguously identified at the level of Family, Jigsaw’s DNA barcode reveals an identification at the Genus level (Condylostylus). This fly is a predator on smaller arthropods, like mites and fleas. Good to have around!
