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Genus Physoconops

Representative Images

Curated specimen from the Essig Museum - Physoconops nigrimanus - male Physoconops - female unidentified Diptera - Physoconops brachyrhynchus Physoconops bulbirostris - male Physoconops excisus? - Physoconops excisus - female Physoconops excisus - female Physoconops obscuripennis - female Physocephala texana ? - Physoconops discalis - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon ("Acalyptratae")
Superfamily Sciomyzoidea
Family Conopidae (Thick-headed Flies)
Subfamily Conopinae
Genus Physoconops

Explanation of Names

Physoconops Szilady 1926

Numbers

13 spp. in 3 subgenera in our area, ~30 total(1)(2)
subgenera (with spp. ## in our area): Physoconops 5, Pachyconops 7, Gyroconops 1

Size

10-16 mm(3)

Identification

see discussion
key to New World species in (4)

Life Cycle

One species is known to parasitize leafcutter bees, Megachilidae(5)

See Also

Physocephala are often mistaken for Physoconops. For details on how to distinguish these two genera, see here.
Members of Cerioidini (Syrphidae) are sometimes mistaken for Conopinae

Print References

(6)(7)

Works Cited

1.A Catalog of the Diptera of America North of Mexico
Alan Stone, et al. 1965. United States Department of Agriculture.
2.A new conopid fly from Florida and Georgia (Diptera: Conopidae)
Sidney Camras. 2007. Insecta Mundi 0007: 1-4.
3.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
4.A review of the New World flies of the genus Conops and allies (Diptera: Conopidae)
Camras S. 1955. Proc. USNM 105: 155‒187.
5.Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America
Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.
6.The Conopid Flies of California
Sidney Camras and Paul D. Hurd, Jr. 1957. University of California Press.
7.Taxonomic revision of four Nearctic Conopidae (Insecta: Diptera) genera (Dalmannia, Roberstonomyia, Stylogaster and Zodion)...
Burt T. 2015. Master's thesis. Carleton U., Ottawa.
Contributed by Joel Kits on 11 March, 2005 - 10:02pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Aaron Schusteff, v belov, egordon88
Last updated 6 June, 2023 - 8:14pm

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