Genus Laphria - Bee-like Robber Flies

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Food · See Also · Internet References

Laphria flavicollis? mating - Laphria flavicollis - male - female

Bee like Robber - Laphria - Laphria thoracica

Laphria saffrana? different individual - Laphria saffrana

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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