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Get Stuck on Petroleum Flies

KQED’s Deep Look gets up close and personal with the Tar Pits most successful (and smallest) predator

An adult petroleum fly Helaeomyia petrolei taken with a keyence microscope

Published July 30, 2024

La Brea Tar Pits has a reputation for being a death trap, but one animal thrives among the fossils and freshly stuck critters that are entrapped every day in the asphalt seeps: the petroleum fly Helaeomyia petrolei.

Where other animals struggle to escape, petroleum fly larvae gracefully swim and adult flies practically dance across the asphalt. Explore their incredible life cycle with KQED’s Deep Look series.
 

Look Closer With SEM

NHM's powerful scanning electron microscope lets researchers get an even deeper look at these incredible creatures, revealing mind-blowing details. Can you figure out which end is which without reading the captions? Check out the incredible images below. 

The posterior end spiracles SEM image oil fly larva

Image by Giar-Ann Kung

An SEM image of the larva's posterior (rear) end

Anterior face with antennae, maxillary sense organs, mouth hooks and oral ridges visible, etc. SEM oil fly

Image by Giar-Ann Kung

An SEM image of an oil fly larva's anterior face (front) with antennae, maxillary sense organs, mouth hooks, and oral ridges visible

SEM image depicting the full body of an oil fly larva

Image by Giar-Ann Kung

SEM image depicting the full body of an oil fly larva

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An SEM image of the larva's posterior (rear) end

Image by Giar-Ann Kung

An SEM image of an oil fly larva's anterior face (front) with antennae, maxillary sense organs, mouth hooks, and oral ridges visible

Image by Giar-Ann Kung

SEM image depicting the full body of an oil fly larva

Image by Giar-Ann Kung