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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » "Orthorrhapha" (Brachycera excluding Aschiza and Schizophora) » Asiloidea » Robber Flies (Asilidae) » Laphriinae » Bee-like Robber Flies (Laphria)

Genus Laphria - Bee-like Robber Flies

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Food · See Also · Internet References
Robber Fly - Laphria index Robber Fly #6 - Laphria macquarti - male Yellow form - Laphria thoracica Washington robber fly for Herschel - Laphria columbica - male Robber Fly? - Laphria canis Laphria Bee-like Robber Fly - Laphria Robber Fly - Laphria sericea - female
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Orthorrhapha" (Brachycera excluding Aschiza and Schizophora))
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Asilidae (Robber Flies)
Subfamily Laphriinae
Genus Laphria (Bee-like Robber Flies)
Explanation of Names
Author of genus is Meigen, 1803. Laphria is Greek. I see references with the word applied to various Greek gods: Artemis Laphria and Apollo Laphrion. Aha, an adjective, Laphria is feminine and Laphrion is masculine. One reference lists a meaning of laphria as "despoiling". Another reference quotes an ancient Greek source: "Every year too the people of Patrai celebrate festival Laphria in honor of their Artemis". The festival was one of mass sacrifice of wild animals.

Sacrifice, despoilng, etc., a good name for a robber fly.
Numbers
Neartica lists 63 North American species.
Identification
most species are black and yellow mimics of bumble bees or carpenter bees
Food
adults predaceous on flying insects, including bees and other robber flies
See Also
other bee-mimicking robber flies such as Mallophora
Bumblebees, Bombus
Internet References
key to eastern species (Steve Bullington)
live adult images of Laphriinae species of Georgia (Giff Beaton)
adult images of Laphria species (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 26 July, 2004 - 8:42am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Robin McLeod
Last updated 18 July, 2008 - 12:45pm

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