| Sicus ferrugineus | |
|---|---|
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| Sicus ferrugineus. Female, side view | |
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| Dorsal view | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Diptera |
| Family: | Conopidae |
| Genus: | Sicus |
| Species: | S. ferrugineus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sicus ferrugineus (Linnaeus, 1761) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Sicus ferrugineus is a species of fly from the genus Sicus in the family Conopidae. [2]
This species is common throughout much of Europe. [3] These conopids mainly inhabit hedgerows and flower meadows. [4] [5]
The adults grow up to 8–13 millimetres (0.31–0.51 in) long. [5] The body is mainly reddish-brown or yellow-brown. The head is yellow, quite large and inflated-looking, with a kind of bubble at the front and narrow cheeks. The short antennae are brown, their second segment has the same length or it is longer than the third. The large eyes are reddish. The legs and also the last abdomen segments are often darkened. The abdomen is long, round in cross-section, the seventh segment is oblong and conical. When in resting position the abdomen is usually folded forward. In the females theca is hardly distinguishable. The wings are transparent, but reddish-yellow colored at the base. [6]
They can be encountered from May through September, [5] feeding on nectar or pollen of various Asteraceae species ( Hieracium pilosella , Thistle, Cirsium species, etc.), Apiaceae species (Parsley Petroselinum sp, . Heracleum sphondylium ), Onagraceae ( Chamerion angustifolium ), Lamiaceae ( Teucrium scorodonia ) and Rosaceae species (Blackberries, Rubus fruticosus sp.). [5]
Their larvae are endoparasites of bumble bees of the genus Bombus [5] ( B. lapidarius , B. terrestris , B. hortorum , B. pascuorum , etc.). They pupate and overwinter in their victims. [7]
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the largest family in the beetle order, and one of the largest families of organisms. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
The Conopidae, also known as the thick-headed flies, are a family of flies within the Brachycera suborder of Diptera, and the sole member of the superfamily Conopoidea. Flies of the family Conopidae are distributed worldwide in all the biogeographic realms except for the poles and many of the Pacific islands. About 800 species in 47 genera are described worldwide, about 70 of which are found in North America. The majority of conopids are black and yellow, or black and white, and often strikingly resemble wasps, bees, or flies of the family Syrphidae, themselves notable bee mimics. A conopid is most frequently found at flowers, feeding on nectar with its proboscis, which is often long.
Volucella zonaria, the hornet mimic hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly. These flies are capable of buzz pollination.
Tephritis formosa is a species of tephritid fly. It is one of many species known commonly as gall fly.
Helophilus trivittatus is a species of Palearctic hoverfly.
Baccha is a genus of hoverflies in the subfamily Syrphinae. They are typically moderate sized with wasp-like bodies. Their larvae are predatory, often on aphids.
Tachina fera is a species of fly in the genus Tachina of the family Tachinidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1761.
Scaeva pyrastri, common name the pied hoverfly, is a species of hoverfly.
Conops quadrifasciatus, the yellow-banded conops, is a species of fly from the genus Conops in the family Conopidae.
Sicus is a genus of flies from the family Conopidae.
Eristalis cryptarum is a holarctic species of hoverfly. Known as the bog hoverfly or bog-dwelling drone fly, it is a bog specialist but may occur in other wetlands. Its larvae are assumed to live in peat that is saturated with water, such as that found in these boggy areas. The female has been observed depositing eggs on and close to very fresh cow dung along oligotrophic seepages in moorland.
Empis tessellata is a species of dance fly, in the fly family Empididae. It is included in the subgenus Euempis.
Empis ciliata, the black dance fly, is a species of dance fly, in the fly family Empididae. It is included in the subgenus Euempis.
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.
Myopa dorsalis is a species belonging to the family Conopidae subfamily Myopinae.
Thecophora atra is a species of small fly in the family Conopidae subfamily Myopinae.
Thecophora pusilla is a species belonging to the family Conopidae subfamily Myopinae.
Chloromyia formosa is a species of soldier flies belonging to the family Stratiomyidae. Another name for it is Broad centurion.
Psila fimetaria is a species of fly, a member of the family Psilidae.
Platystoma seminationis, the dancing "kiss fly", is a species of fly in the family Platystomatidae.
