Family Bombyliidae - Bee Flies

Bombyliidae Latreille, 1802

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

Subfamily TOXOPHORINAE

Subfamily BOMBYLIINAE

Subfamily ECLIMINAE Lepidophora · Thevenetimyia

Subfamily CROCIDIINAE Desmatomyia · *Inyo

Subfamily CYTHEREINAE Pantarbes

Subfamily LOMATIINAE Bryodemina · Ogcodocera

Subfamily TOMOMYZINAE Amphicosmus · Metacosmus · Paracosmus

Subfamily ANTHRACINAE

body 4‒40 mm

Keys: e.Canada spp. in (3) • e.US spp. here; checklist

Cosmopolitan; most diverse in semi-arid and arid environments (Yeates & Lambkin 2004)

Females hover over host nest, often in dry areas(5)

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)

Females spray their miniscule eggs in almost any soil depression, hovering briefly while making flicking movements with their abdomen.(8) 1st instar larva penetrates host's nest, then turns into a sedentary parasitoid (hypermetamorphosis); pupa equipped with spines/spikes to drill out of the nest(5)

Immature stages

Pupal exuvia Pupal shell of host, fly pupal shell and adult

The oldest fossils date ~140 mya(6)

Syrphidae are not as hairy and never have a long proboscis

Family overview (Yeates & Lambkin 2004)