| Hemipenthes maura | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Bombyliidae |
| Genus: | Hemipenthes |
| Species: | H. maura |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemipenthes maura | |
| Synonyms | |
Hemipenthes maura is a species of bee fly belonging to the family Bombyliidae. [2] [3]
This species has a Palaearctic distribution. In Europe it is present in Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Malta, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Croatia and the European part of Russia. Further east, it occurs from West Asia to China. [4]
This insect inhabits forest edges, xerothermic grasslands and psammophilous grasslands. [5]
Hemipenthes maura can reach a body length of about 6–12 mm (0.24–0.47 in). [5] Body coloration is matt black, with black dusting. The spherical head is characterized by a very short snout, not much longer than the mouth. In addition to black scales along the back edge of the compound eyes, golden yellow scales appear in front of the forehead and face. The antennae have an asymmetrically onion-shaped third segment. Behind the head there is a rim of black hair, with golden yellow in the upper part. On the sides of the top of the torso, there are a pair of white or yellowish stripes. The midsection and the shield have long bristles on the edges. These insects can be distinguished from similar species by their wing venation. First of all, Hemipenthes morio , in which the tip of the R1 radial cell is transparent. [5] The wing scales are brownish-white with brown hair on the edges. The wings are blackened on a larger surface is, and the darkening also includes the tops of the radial and discoidal cells. The abdomen has the rear edges of tergites with narrow white bands, except for the fifth tergite, which has a yellowish band on the back edge. [2] [6]
Adults fly from June to August. [5] They visit flowers to feed on nectar and pollen. Larvae are hyperparasites on parasitic Hymenoptera. [7] [5] The larvae devour the larvae of the Ichneumonidae and Tachinidae larvae. [5]
Hoverflies, also called flower flies or syrphids, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while the larvae (maggots) eat a wide range of foods. In some species, the larvae are saprotrophs, eating decaying plant and animal matter in the soil or in ponds and streams. In other species, the larvae are insectivores and prey on aphids, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects.
The Bombyliidae are a family of flies, commonly known as bee flies. Adults generally feed on nectar and pollen, some being important pollinators. Larvae are mostly parasitoids of other insects.
The Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. Phorid flies can often be identified by their escape habit of running rapidly across a surface rather than taking to the wing. This behaviour is a source of one of their alternate names, scuttle fly. Another vernacular name, coffin fly, refers to Conicera tibialis. About 4,000 species are known in 230 genera. The most well-known species is cosmopolitan Megaselia scalaris. At 0.4 mm in length, the world's smallest fly is the phorid Euryplatea nanaknihali.
Pterophorus pentadactyla, commonly known as the white plume moth, is a moth in the family Pterophoridae. It is found in the West Palearctic including North Africa and Europe. The wingspan is 26–34 mm (1.0–1.3 in). It is uniformly white, with the hind wing pair divided in three feathery plumes and the front pair in another two. The moths fly from June to August. The larvae feed on bindweed.
The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their expert predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and, as a rule, they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight.
This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists.
The Agromyzidae are a family of flies, commonly referred to as the leaf-miner flies for the feeding habits of their larvae, most of which are leaf miners on various plants. It includes roughly 2,500 species, they are small, some with wing length of 1 mm. The maximum size is 6.5 mm. Most species are in the range of 2 to 3 mm.
The Scenopinidae or window flies are a small family of flies (Diptera), distributed worldwide. In buildings, they are often taken at windows, hence the common name window flies.
Bombylius major is a parasitic bee mimic fly. B. major is the most common type of fly within the Bombylius genus. The fly derives its name from its close resemblance to bumblebees and are often mistaken for them.
Xylota segnis, The Brown-toed Forest Fly, is a common species of hoverfly.
Andrena marginata, sometimes called the small scabious mining bee is a species of the sand bee (Andrena) genus.
Chrysotoxum flavifrons, the Blackshield Meadow Fly, is a species of North American hoverfly. They are wasp mimics.
Bombylius canescens, commonly known as the western bee-fly, is a species of bee-fly belonging to the family Bombyliidae.
Opomyza petrei is a species of fly in the family Opomyzidae. It is found in the Palearctic.
Orthonevra flukei (Sedman, 1966), Fluke's Mucksucker, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly It has been observed in the Western United States. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. Larvae for this genus are of the rat-tailed type. O. flukei larvae have been described.
Meromacrus acutus, the Carolinian elegant, is a species of syrphid fly in the family Syrphidae. This uncommon species is distributed in the Eastern United States and South America. Notable for the black and yellow pattern mimicking wasps. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are aquatic filter-feeders of the rat-tailed type. They are found in rot holes of trees.
Syrphus knabi, the Eastern flower Fly, is an uncommon species of syrphid fly observed in the eastern United States and Canada. Syrphid flies are also known as Hover Flies or Flower Flies because the adults are frequently found hovering around flowers from which they feed on nectar and pollen. Adults are 7.2–12.9 mm (0.28–0.51 in) long. The larvae are predators of a variety of aphids in trees.
Blera flukei, the red-cheeked wood fly, is a rare species of syrphid fly first officially described by Curran, 1953 as Cynorhina flukei. Hoverflies get their names from the ability to remain nearly motionless while in flight. The adults are also known as flower flies for they are commonly found around and on flowers, from which they get both energy-giving nectar and protein-rich pollen. The larvae are of the rat-tailed type, feeding on exuding sap or in the rot holes of trees.
Euchariomyia is a monotypic genus of the subfamily Bombyliinae. The only species is Euchariomyia dives.
Chrysotoxum baphyrum is a species of holarctic hoverfly. The adults are strong mimics of wasps. Larvae of this genera, when known, are aphid predators.
 | This article related to members of the fly family Bombyliidae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |