And God Created...................................Scuba Equipped Flies
by David Everson
Occasionally from the world of nature comes life forms so unusual that if Hollywood were to create some
imaginary animals with these features everyone would think how ridiculous that would be. But, in order to
confound the skeptic and encourage the child of God the Almighty Creator has given an animal some
unbelievable features.
That is the Alkali flies (Ephydra hians) God has created this most unusual fly to life in one of the most difficult
environments that one could imagine. That being Mono Lake in California. It is a 13 mile wide volcanic basin
into which water from streams in the surrounding mountains flow. But there are no streams out of which the
water can flow. Evaporation is the only way that water leaves and this increases the salt content of the waters
just like it does in the Dead Sea which suffers the same problem. The waters in Mono Lake are so concentrated
with salt and minerals that it’s “venomous water that are nearly pure lye.” It is twice as salty as sea water in
which no fish, frogs, snakes, or other usual lake life lives, but God was able to easily make a fly that cannot
only live there but thrive.
The Alkali flies are one of the very important parts of the food chain at Mono Lake and were even food for
Native Americans who lived in the area long ago. Most of the birds there feed on these flies. The fly lives two
of its three life stages entirely submerged, this is not that unusual as many insects do that, but not in this type of
deadly water. The larval and pupal life stages of the alkali flies develop totally under the salty waters where
after the larvae hatches it feeds on algae that grows in the lake. The larvae has a special lime gland found in
very few other organisms, that allows it to get rid of all of the salt that it absorbs during it’s time in the
poisonous water. The larvae will shed their skins twice before it is ready to become an adult. It holds onto
underwater clumps of plants or mineral deposits so that they can avoid being eaten by the many birds that live
and feed on flies around the lake. The last pair of legs are specialized into clawed “prolegs.” These make
holding onto the underwater structures possible and are vital for survival of the larvae.
Then as the larvae is ready for the adult stage to begin, another most unique feature of this fly is seem. That of
the “pop top” pupa case. After the larvae has undergone metamorphosis and is ready to emerge as an adult fly
the whole top of the pupa case flips up. This sudden action of the top of the case causes the case to float to the
surface of Mono Lake. Here the adult fly emerges and goes on with life above and below the salty water of the
lake.
The adult fly feeds on the algae at the bottom of the lake and the females need to get back to the bottom of the
lake to lay their eggs. This would be impossible for an air breathing adult but for God’s creation of the fly with
its own built in “Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus” or SCUBA gear! The Alkali fly is covered
with hairs and a waxy covering that prevents water from getting against the skin. The hairs are able to trap and
hold air bubbles for breathing underwater. This natural “scuba tank” allows the adult fly to walk under the water
for up to fifteen minutes at a time. This allows time for the female to find a good place to lay her eggs and allow
others to graze on the abundant algae in the lake.
At the end of the day God has created a marvelous creature for a most unique environment where life would
seem to be hopelessly impossible. And it would be with God, “Praise Be to God Almighty.”