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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Flies (Diptera) » Orthorrhapha » Asiloidea » Micro Bee Flies (Mythicomyiidae) » Mythicomyia
Photo#493572
Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female
Copyright © 2011 Aaron Schusteff

Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - Female
Coyote Mountains, north of town of Ocotillo, Imperial County, California, USA
February 20, 2011
Size: ~ 2mm
I'm speculating that this is a bee fly in the subfamily Usiinae. It appears similar to Apolysis (compare to Hartmut's post here), but the proboscis is less than the head length, whereas most Apolysis seem to have a proboscis at least 1.5 to 2 times the head length.

It was foraging on flowers (technically, cyathia) of the native euphorb Chamaesyce pediculifera, and appeared to be feeding primarily on pollen from the staminate flowers.

Images of this individual: tag all
Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female Tiny Bee Fly, Usiinae? - Mythicomyia - female
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Contributed by Aaron Schusteff on 27 February, 2011 - 2:52pm
Last updated 11 March, 2011 - 9:14pm

Moved
This is a mythicomyiid (usually split from the Bombyliidae), and as far as I can tell it's Mythicomyia.

Moved from Bee Flies.
… Joel Kits, 11 March, 2011 - 9:14pm login or register to post comments

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