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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)

Family Bombyliidae - Bee Flies

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
Xenox Hawkweed mountaineer fly - Tmemophlebia - female bee fly - Villa Bombyliidae - Lepidophora lepidocera Exoprosopa doris vs fascipennis - Exoprosopa doris Unidentified insect 0709202002 Fly - Poecilognathus? Hemipenthes jaennickeana? - Hemipenthes - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Diptera (Flies)
No Taxon (Orthorrhapha)
Superfamily Asiloidea
Family Bombyliidae (Bee Flies)
Explanation of Names
Bombyliidae Latreille 1802
Numbers
ca. 800 spp. in ~70 genera of 13 subfamilies in our area(1), >5,000 spp. in >230 genera of 15 subfamilies worldwide(2)(Yeates & Lambkin 2004)
Overview of our fauna (* –taxa not yet in the guide; classification adapted from(2))
Family BOMBYLIIDAE
Subfamily USIINAE Apolysis
Subfamily PHTHIRIINAE
Tribe Phthiriini Acreophthiria · Neacreotrichus
Tribe Poecilognathini Euryphthiria · Poecilognathus · Relictiphthiria · Tmemophlebia
Subfamily TOXOPHORINAE
Tribe Gerontini Geron (subgenera Empidigeron · Geron)
Tribe Systropodini Dolichomyia · Systropus
Tribe Toxophorini Toxophora
Subfamily BOMBYLIINAE
Tribe Bombyliini Anastoechus · Bombylius (subgenera Bombylius · Parabombylius) · Heterostylum · Systoechus · Triploechus
Tribe Conophorini Aldrichia · Conophorus · Geminaria · Lordotus · Sparnopolius
Subfamily ECLIMINAE Lepidophora · Thevenetimyia
Subfamily CROCIDIINAE Desmatomyia · *Inyo
Subfamily CYTHEREINAE Pantarbes
Subfamily LOMATIINAE Bryodemina · Ogcodocera
Subfamily TOMOMYZINAE Amphicosmus · Metacosmus · Paracosmus
Subfamily ANTHRACINAE
Tribe Anthracini Anthrax · Dicranoclista · Xenox
Tribe Aphoebantini Aphoebantus · Epacmus · Eucessia · Exepacmus
Tribe Exoprosopini Exoprosopa · Ligyra
Tribe Villini Astrophanes · Chrysanthrax · Diochanthrax · Dipalta · Hemipenthes · Lepidanthrax · *Mancia · Neodiplocampta · *Oestranthrax · Paradiplocampta · Paravilla · Poecilanthrax · Rhynchanthrax · Stonyx · Thyridanthrax · Villa
Tribe Xeramoebini Desmatoneura
Size
body 4-40 mm
Identification
Key to e. Canada spp.(3)
Key to e. US spp. here; checklist
Review of world fauna(4)
Range
Cosmopolitan; most diverse in semi-arid and arid environments (Yeates & Lambkin 2004)
Habitat
Females hover over host nest, often in dry areas(5)
Food
Larvae are mostly external parasitoids of holometabolous larvae (esp. soil-dwelling Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera); a few are endoparasites, predators (esp. on grasshopper eggs), or kleptoparasites; adults take nectar/pollen(5)(6)(1)(7)
Their proboscises are often longer than(8)
Life Cycle
Females spray their miniscule eggs in almost any soil depression, hovering briefly while making flicking movements with their abdomen.(9)
Larvae undergo hypermetamorphosis: 1st instar larva is active and penetrates the host's nest, then turns into a sedentary parasitoid; pupa is equipped with spines/spikes to drill out of the nest(5)
Immature stages
Pupal exuvia Pupal shell of host, fly pupal shell and adult
After mating the female drops her eggs over the soil surface. Newly hatched larvae are very active and scurry about until finding the right soil-inhabiting host, which could be beetle, fly, caterpillar, ant lion, or bee.(8)
Remarks
The oldest fossils date ~140 mya(6)
Their proboscises are often longer than bees.(8)
See Also
Syrphidae are not as hairy and never have a long proboscis
Internet References
Family overview (Yeates & Lambkin 2004)
Works Cited
1.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
Ross H. Arnett. 2000. CRC Press.
2.Evenhuis N.L., Greathead D.J. (2015) World catalog of bee flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) web site
3.The Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae) of Ontario, with a Key to the Species of Eastern Canada
4.Bee Flies of the World: The Genera of the Family Bombyliidae
Hull, Frank M. 1973. Smithsonian Institution Press.
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.Evolution of the Insects
David Grimaldi and Michael S. Engel. 2005.
7.The evolutionary pattern of host use in the Bombyliidae (Diptera), a diverse family of parasitoid flies
Yeates D.K., Greathead D. 1997. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 60: 149-185.
8.Hidden Company that Trees Keep: Life from Treetops to Root Tips
James B. Nardi. 2023. Princeton University Press.
9.Insect Behavior
Robert W. Matthews and Janice R. Matthews. 1988. Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Joel Kits, Robin McLeod, Tony-2, Hartmut Wisch, Matthias Buck, Aaron Schusteff, v belov, KenW, Marci Hess, zdanko
Last updated 14 October, 2023 - 10:38am

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