Bibio pomonae

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Bibio pomonae
Bibionidae - Bibio pomonae female.JPG
Bibio pomonae, female
Bibio pomonae male.jpg
Bibio pomonae, male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Bibionidae
Genus: Bibio
Species:
B. pomonae
Binomial name
Bibio pomonae
(Fabricius, 1775) [1]
Synonyms

[2]

Bibio pomonae, common name red-thighed St Mark's fly or heather fly, is a species of fly (Diptera) belonging to the family Bibionidae.

Contents

Description

Bibio pomonae can reach a length of about 10–13 millimetres (0.39–0.51 in), while the length of the wings reaches 8–12 millimetres (0.31–0.47 in). [3] The basic body color is shiny black, with a black long abdomen, deep crimson-red femurs and dark tibiae and tarsi. Front tibia show a pair of large spurs. Wings are milky-white with darkened veins on the costal area and a dark spot on the leading edge. The 10-segmented antennae are relatively short and thick. Males and females are very different, as the holoptic males show very large eyes and a flattened abdomen, while the females have small head and eyes and a sharp abdomen. [4] The larvae are reddish brown.

Biology

Adults feed mostly on nectar and are important pollinators. [4] Larvae develop during Fall and Winter feeding on dead leaves, compost, decaying organic matter and Poaceae roots [3] [5]

Adults are late summer flyers, but they occur from May to October. [3] [6] In Norway's Hardangarvidda it has been observed that they appear in large numbers every third year, which suggests the larvae take three years to develop. [7]

Distribution

This species can be found across most of the Palearctic realm (Europe and North Asia), but in southern Europe can be found only in the mountains. [8]

Habitat

This fly occurs in hedge rows of hill countries, on moorland and mountain birch forests, in woodland edges, fields and in wetlands. [3]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asilidae</span> Family of flies

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibionidae</span> Family of flies

Bibionidae is a family of flies (Diptera) containing approximately 650–700 species worldwide. Adults are nectar feeders and emerge in numbers in spring. Because of the likelihood of adults flies being found in copula, they have earned colloquial names such as "love bugs" or "honeymoon flies".

<i>Bombylius major</i> Species of fly

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<i>Bibio marci</i> Species of fly

Bibio marci or St. Mark's fly or hawthorn fly, is a species of fly from the family Bibionidae. It is found across much of Europe. Their common name comes from the fact that the adults usually emerge around St Mark's Day, 25 April.

<i>Empis tessellata</i> Species of fly

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<i>Empis ciliata</i> Species of fly

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<i>Bibio femoratus</i> Species of fly

Bibio femoratus, also known as the March fly or lovebug, is a species of fly in the family Bibionidae. It was first described by the German entomologist Christian Rudolph Wilhelm Wiedemann in 1820.Bibio femoratus is one of at least 90 types of March flies, which occur in the United States and Canada.

<i>Trichopoda pennipes</i> Species of fly

Trichopoda pennipes is a species of feather-legged fly in the dipteran family Tachinidae.

<i>Atherix ibis</i> Species of fly

Atherix ibis, the yellow-legged water-snipefly, is a species of ibis flies belonging to the family Athericidae, a small family very similar to Rhagionidae.

Diptera is an order of winged insects commonly known as flies. Diptera, which are one of the most successful groups of organisms on Earth, are very diverse biologically. None are truly marine but they occupy virtually every terrestrial niche. Many have co-evolved in association with plants and animals. The Diptera are a very significant group in the decomposition and degeneration of plant and animal matter, are instrumental in the breakdown and release of nutrients back into the soil, and whose larvae supplement the diet of higher agrarian organisms. They are also an important component in food chains.

<i>Calliphora quadrimaculata</i> Species of fly

Calliphora quadrimaculata, commonly known as the New Zealand blue blowfly and by its Māori name rango pango, is an insect in the genus Calliphora of family Calliphoridae in the order Diptera. This particular blowfly is found throughout New Zealand as well as on Chatham, Auckland, Stewart and Campbell Islands that surround New Zealand. Generally blowfly maggots in New Zealand have to feed on animal tissue or faeces to develop into adult blowflies. However the New Zealand blue blowfly larvae can survive on decaying leaves of snow tussock in alpine regions and reach adult maturity without feeding on any animal tissue.

<i>Villa modesta</i> Species of fly

Villa modesta is a species of fly in the family Bombyliidae. The larvae may feed on larvae of Lepidoptera.

<i>Neoitamus cyanurus</i> Species of insect

Neoitamus cyanurus, the common awl robberfly, is a species of 'robber fly' belonging to the family Asilidae.

<i>Bibio hortulanus</i> Species of fly

Bibio hortulanus, common name marchfly, is a species of fly from the family Bibionidae.

<i>Bezzia nobilis</i> Species of fly

Bezzia nobilis is a species of biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. It is widely considered one of the most common Bezzia species; it is found in Eurasian regions, all over the United States, Central America, and even into South American countries like Brazil. B. nobilis seem to prefer aquatic environments; they are commonly observed in stagnant water pools in Eurasia regions and marshes in the southern United States. Adults of this species are easily distinguished by their black and yellow striped legs. Pupae are recognized by their brown bodies, abdominal spines, and respiratory horns. B. nobilis larvae are distinguished by brown heads and white bodies. Little information is known on their life cycle or mating habits. B. nobilis is a predatory species. While some research suggests they mainly feed on larvae of other insect species, experiments suggest they prefer immobile, easy prey such as dead adult flies, bacteria, and protozoa.

<i>Dytiscus semisulcatus</i> Species of beetle

Dytiscus semisulcatus, the brown-bellied great diving beetle , is an aquatic diving beetle native to Europe and northern Asia, and is particularly common in England. It is a large dark red-brown or black beetle, that can fly and lives near water.

<i>Mesembrina mystacea</i>

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References

  1. Freeman, Paul; Lane, Richard P. (1985). "Bibionid and Scatopsid flies, Diptera: Bibionidae & Scatopsidae". Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects. 9 (7). London: Royal Entomological Society of London: 74.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Biolib
  3. 1 2 3 4 Commanster
  4. 1 2 Wildlife Trust
  5. Triplethorne & Johnson (2004). Borror's Introduction to the Study of Insects, Brooks-Cole. 715-716
  6. Key to Highland Bibionids
  7. Borgstrøm, Reidar and Skartveit, John, Russefluga (Bibio pomonae): Eit viktig insekt i høgfjellsøkosystemet, Naturen, p.20-24 DOI: 10.18261/issn.1504-3118-2018-01-04
  8. Fauna Europaea