Bee Fly - Bombylius major

HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Registration is open for the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2023

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Bee Flies (Bombyliidae) » Bombyliinae » Bombyliini » Bombylius » Subgenus Bombylius (Bombylius Subgenus Bombylius) » Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major)

Photo#270658

Copyright © 2009 Phil Huntley-Franck

Bee Fly - Bombylius major -

Elkton, Douglas County, Oregon, USA
April 16, 2009
Size: 3/8 inch +/-

There's quite a few of these bee flies, with a single light stripe down the back, buzzing around the yard lately. They always fly low and never seem to stop for more than a moment or two. Even then, they mostly hover, with their feet lightly touching, rather than actually landing. As a result, I couldn't get any good images of their wing patterns.

Any help to ID would be appreciated.

tag · login or register to post comments

Contributed by Phil Huntley-Franck on 28 April, 2009 - 10:07pm
Last updated 29 April, 2009 - 5:48pm

Moved

Moved from Bee Flies.

… Phil Huntley-Franck, 29 April, 2009 - 5:48pm

Thank you, gentlemen.

… Phil Huntley-Franck, 29 April, 2009 - 5:47pm

This is Bombylius major. I believe this is the female and the other post is the male. In many Bombylius, the female has a scale pattern (here, a dorsal stripe) which is missing or much reduced in the male.

… Andy Calderwood, 29 April, 2009 - 12:30pm

I think both of these are genus Bombylius

I'm getting that from body shape; it's not always a reliable indicator but should be good here as this genus is pretty distinctive and consistent. What I can make out of the wing pattern also points in that direction.

That said, we have some excellent bee fly IDers here, and I hope your posts draw expert commentary.

… Ron Hemberger, 29 April, 2009 - 12:03am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version