Family: Micropezidae
Subfamily: Taeniapterinae
This species of Stilt-legged fly can be found from Alberta to Nova Scotia and south to Texas and Florida. Adults are active from April through September.
Rainieria antennaepes is the only Nearctic species in the genus.
One trait that separates genus Rainiera from related genera is the bare arista. Note that this is only true in the Nearctic; some Neotropical Rainieria have plumose arista.
The specific epithet translates as "antennae feet," and refers to the habit of holding the front legs aloft so that they look like antennae. This aids the species' wasp mimicry.
Steyskal (1964) studied the larva of this species, and prepared an illustration of the anterior spiracle, noting that "the number of buds varies from 15 to 17."
