Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, 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.
Anthrax is a genus of bombyliid flies, commonly known as "bee-flies" due to their resemblance to bees. Most are dull black flies, and are usually small to medium in size, 4–20 millimetres (0.2–0.8 in), and many species have striking wing patterns.
The Asiloidea comprise a very large superfamily insects in the order Diptera, the true flies. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring worldwide. It includes the family Bombyliidae, the bee flies, which are parasitoids, and the Asilidae, the robber flies, which are predators of other insects.
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.
Exoprosopa is a large cosmopolitan genus of flies belonging to the family Bombyliidae (bee-flies), with over 325 described species. The genus parasitizes a wide range of insects, including locust and larvae of wasps.
Apystomyiidae is a small family of flies containing the living genus Apystomyia and the extinct genera Apystomimus and Hilarimorphites. The single living Apystomyiidae species, Apystomyia elinguis, is native to California. Species of Hilarimorphites have been described from Mid to late Cretaceous Burmese and New Jersey ambers, while the single Apystomimus species is from the Late Jurassic of Kazakhstan.
Marleyimyia xylocopae is a species of bee fly from South Africa that has a similarity to the patterning of a carpenter bee Xylocopa flavicollis(De Geer, 1778) found in the region. The species is considered to be distinctive and only one of three within the genus Marleyimyia. The other members of the genus are Marleyimyia goliath described from Peninsular Malaysia and M. natalensis from southern Africa. Members in the genus have been presumed to be crepuscular or nocturnal but this species was found to be diurnal.
Hyperalonia is a genus of bee flies in the family Bombyliidae.
Anthrax anthrax is a species of fly in the family Bombyliidae. Unlike, for example, Bombylius major, this species does not mimic a bee. The eggs are flicked by the adult female toward the entrance of the nests of mason bees. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to feed on the bee larva. A. can be found in May to August throughout mainland Europe. In the Netherlands A. anthrax is a common visitor of insect hotels. It was first recorded as breeding in Britain in 2019.
Bombylius canescens, is a species of bee-fly belonging to the family Bombyliidae.
Bombyliinae is a subfamily of bee flies in the family Bombyliidae. There are more than 70 genera in Bombyliinae.
Brachyanax is a genus of bee fly in the subfamily Anthracinae. It was circumscribed by Neal Evenhuis in 1981. Thirteen species are recognized, and they are found in Asia and Australasia.
Chrysanthrax eudorus is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae.
Xenox is a genus of bee flies. There are five described species in Xenox, all of which parasitize bees in the genus Xylocopa as larvae.
Meomyia sericans is a large species of fly in the family Bombyliidae. A flying Australian insect with black and white hairs on the abdomen with a grey thorax. The probiscis is long and slender. Wings appear somewhat tinted. In October, they may be seeing flying low, then laying eggs in the earth, including walking tracks. Food plants include the tea trees in the genus Leptospermum.
Comptosia neobiguttata is a species of bee flies in the family Bombyliidae, first described by David Keith Yeates in 1991.
Euchariomyia is a monotypic genus of the subfamily Bombyliinae. The only species is Euchariomyia dives.
Chrysanthrax adumbrata is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae.
Chrysanthrax scitulus is a species of bee fly in the family Bombyliidae.
