![\"p\u00ed](\"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Fly-Quenya.jpg\")
<\/a>Translation and Tengwar\u00a0courtesy of Lee Jaszlics (biologist<\/a>, photographer<\/a>, and Quenya aficionado<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n Coincidentally, flies actually make their debut in the world of Middle-earth on March 15, 3019 (The Return of the King, Book Six, Chapter II – The Land of Shadow) as Frodo and Sam wander through a riverbed deep within Mordor. Tolkien writes:<\/p>\n To their surprise they came upon dark pools fed by threads of water trickling down from some source higher up in the valley. Upon its outer marges under the westward mountains Mordor was a dying land, but it was not yet dead. And here things still grew, harsh, twisted, bitter, struggling for life. In the glens of the Morgai on the other side of the valley low scrubby trees lurked and clung, coarse grey grass-tussocks fought with the stones, and withered mosses crawled on them; and everywhere great writhing, tangled brambles sprawled. Some had long stabbing thorns, some hooked barbs that rent like knives. The sullen shrivelled leaves of a past year hung on them, grating and rattling in the sad airs, but their maggot-ridden buds were only just opening. Flies, dun or grey, or black, marked like orcs with a red eye-shaped blotch, buzzed and stung; and above the briar-thickets clouds of hungry midges danced and reeled.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The dancing midge clouds are easily explained<\/a>, but I spent a lot\u00a0of time trying to find a fly species that would fit Tolkien’s description. It turns out that “dun or grey, or black, marked like orcs with a red eye-shaped blotch” is a surprisingly rare combination in the Diptera. In fact, I couldn’t find\u00a0any species of flies that could be described as\u00a0dark with red splotches! Certainly there are species that are dark with red heads, including micropezids in the genus\u00a0Scipopus<\/em>, or signal flies in the genus\u00a0Bromophila<\/em> (as recently discussed by Piotr Naskrecki<\/a>), and many flies are known for literally having red eyes (think of your friendly kitchen Drosophila<\/em>), but unlike beetles, red blotches or spots seem to be rare in flies.<\/p>\n Scipopus sp. from Bolivia<\/p><\/div>\n The only solution I could come up with that fit the general description and habitat of these Morgai flies\u00a0was perhaps a species of Chrysopilus<\/em>\u00a0snipe fly (Rhagionidae), commonly called golden-backed snipe flies here in regular Earth. These flies have a blanket of magnificent golden pile on the top of their thorax, which can be brushed off giving the appearance of the Eye of Sauron (although they are certainly not blood suckers\u00a0or pests). Perhaps under the evil influence of Sauron, a new species of \u00a0Chrysopilus<\/em> arose in Morgai, developed a taste for orc blood, and took to the air to reign terror from the skies.<\/p>\n Chrysopilus thoracicus from Ontario on the left, with its Tolkienian cousin Chrysopilus “morgai” on the right<\/p><\/div>\n So on this P\u00ed day, I hope you’ll not only herald\u00a0the popular mathematical constants, but also the dipteran variables that make our natural history interesting, and our\u00a0literary history magical.<\/p>\n Of course, the best possible way to celebrate would be to follow James Gilbert’s lead and make a P\u00ed Pie for Pi Day. Mmmm, pie.<\/p>\n A Syrphus ribesii pork pie I made earlier #bakeyourstudyspecies<\/a> – mimicry didn't help it that evening @SensoryEcology<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/saXqFuCEuU<\/a><\/p>\n — James Gilbert (@james_gilbert) March 11, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/a><\/a>\n