Explanation of Names
ALDRICHIA: named in honor of J.M. Aldrich, a prominent dipterist and eventual curator of Diptera at the USNM. Alrich provided the holotype of A. ehrmanii to D.W. Coquillett, who described that species. [info supplied by Joel Kits]
Numbers
2 species in North America (
nearctica.com)
Identification
all black; thorax and abdomen covered with sparse long hairs, mostly black but may also be light gray; wings "smoky" dark gray to blackish near costa, becoming clearer toward inner margin and especially near base; second antennal segment as long as the first or longer, and both cylindrical, stout, much thickened, and bristly; third segment flat but much widened in the middle, the apex with some long stiff hairs; marginal cell of wing not usually widened apically; three submarginal cells
Range
northeastern United States (and apparently southern Ontario, based on the photos
here and
here); genus also reported from Minnesota
A. auripuncta: type specimen from Ohio; literature records from NC, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV
A. ehrmanii: type specimen from Pennsylvania; literature records from IL, KS, MI, MO, NJ, NY, OH, PA
Season
adults fly in spring (May and June)
Food
A. ehrmanii adults have been reported on flowers of spring-blooming herbaceous plants, probably feeding on nectar or pollen; species include Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), Long-styled Sweet-cicely (Osmorhiza longistylis), Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), and Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
Remarks
The specific epithet of A. ehrmanii is misspelled "ehrmanni" by several sources (the spelling in the original description is ehrmanii, named after a Mr. Ehrman who collected the type specimen) [thanks to Joel Kits for this info]
Internet References
live adult image photographed on 22 May 2005 (Bruce Marlin, Illinois)
description and line drawings of body parts (Herschel Raney, Key to the Bombyliidae of the eastern US)
presence in Minnesota; list (Insects of Cedar Creek, U. of Minnesota)
distribution and type specimen locations; PDF doc (Neal Evenhuis and D.J. Greathead, World Catalog of Bee Flies, part 1)
