Conopidae ? - Physocephala

Moved

… Zachary Dankowicz, 12 December, 2021 - 10:54am

Moved

… Aaron Schusteff, 5 July, 2019 - 8:06pm

Yep, a conopid...aren't they neat looking? ;-)

This is definitely genus Physocephala...from the "T"-shaped pattern on the frons; the relative lengths of the antennal segments; the shape of the discal cell in the wing; and other characters (for details on all this, and more, see the BugGuide info page for Conopinae).

As for species, it's either P. marginata or P. texana. Both are present in Oregon and can be quite variable...overlapping in many of the diagnostic character states used for species ID in the genus. I can't tell which this is without a clear (e.g. frontal) view of the "facial grooves". The facial grooves are labelled "fg" in the reference photo below:

For more details, see the discussion under "See Also" here.

BTW, this one is a female from the pad-like theca seen here under the 4th sternite and the downward-projecting "blocky" tip of the last abdominal segment. Females use those two protuberances to quicky pry open the tergites of bees and insert their eggs (often during in flight).

… Aaron Schusteff, 5 July, 2019 - 7:59pm

genus Physocephala

Thank you very much Aaron. I really appreciate the additional information. I regret that I only had a chance for one quick photo.

… Victor L Berthelsdorf, 5 July, 2019 - 8:38pm

Maybe you'll get another opportunity?

They've likely been around for a while, and hopefully will continue to be ;-) Whether we notice them or not is often a matter of luck...but once you've seen one, you may pick up subtle cues that can help find them again. Good luck!

… Aaron Schusteff, 6 July, 2019 - 12:46am

Moved

Moved from ID Request.

… Tyler Hedlund, 3 July, 2019 - 8:09am

Yes

Conopinae

… John S. Ascher, 3 July, 2019 - 7:18am

Conopinae

Thank you.

… Victor L Berthelsdorf, 3 July, 2019 - 8:35am