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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Calyptratae » Oestroidea » Tachinidae » Phasiinae » Gymnosoma

Genus Gymnosoma

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Fly - Gymnosoma Tachinid - Gymnosoma orangish fly - Gymnosoma Tachinidae Fly - Gymnosoma Tachinid Fly - Gymnosoma - female Tachinid Fly - Gymnosoma - female Fly - Gymnosoma Tachinidae, Gymnosoma sp. - Gymnosoma
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Calyptratae)
Superfamily Oestroidea
Family Tachinidae
Subfamily Phasiinae
Genus Gymnosoma
Explanation of Names
Author of genus is Meigen, 1803. From Greek gymno naked, plus soma, body, likely referring to the lack of hair on abdomen (Internet searches).
Numbers
Nearctica.com and Arnett (1) list six species in genus for North America
Size
Circa 8-10 mm
Identification
Small, brightly colored Tachinids that visit flowers. Sean McCann points out this fly might mimic the nymph of certain stink bugs:
Range
Includes eastern North America.
Habitat
Found on flowers in fields, roadsides.
Season
May-August (Minnesota). North Carolina: April-November (lower elevations), May-September (mountains).
Food
Adults take nectar.
Life Cycle
Eggs are laid on adult and larval stink bugs and shield bugs Pentatomidae (2).
See Also
other brightly-colored tachinids such as Trichopoda
Print References
Arnett, p. 912 (1)
Eaton and Kaufman, pp. 308-309 (2)
Brimley, p. 357, lists just G. fulginosa for North Carolina (3)
Internet References
North Carolina State University Entomology Collection lists three species for that state, with number pinned: canadense (3), fulginsum (75, i.e., fulginosa), par (20).
Insects of Cedar Creek: Tachinidae, G. fulginosa
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
2.Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America
By Eric Eaton, Kenn Kaufman
3.Insects of North Carolina
By C.S. Brimley
Contributed by Cotinis on 22 June, 2004 - 5:46pm
Last updated 17 July, 2007 - 3:05am

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