Critter of the Week: Sapphire spider fly

This week's critter deserves the nickname 'jewel of death'. The sapphire spider fly, Apsona muscaria, is endemic to Aotearoa and is an endoparasite of native spider species like the NZ tunnelweb, Porrhothele antipodiana. Sapphire spider fly larva wriggles its way into a spider's abdomen to set itself up inside its lungs to feed and grow. When the larva is ready to turn into an adult fly, it bursts out and feeds on the dead arachnid before transforming into a stunning sapphire blue fly.