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Physocephala furcillata
Photo#773386
Copyright © 2013
Steve Nanz
Fly ZH3Z4035 -
Physocephala furcillata
-
Monhegan Island, Lincoln County, Maine, USA
August 29, 2006
Physocephala furcillata? Tried to follow description from link on info page.
Images of this individual:
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Contributed by
Steve Nanz
on 21 May, 2013 - 4:02am
Last updated 29 December, 2013 - 4:07pm
Moved
Moved from
Conopinae
.
…
Aaron Schusteff
, 29 December, 2013 - 4:07pm
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Yes, this is P. furcillata
The hyaline discal and costal cells; dark scutellum; and small, barely-visible dusted-white humeral spots...inset from the margin of the lateral edge of the thorax; together with the uniformly black cheek visible in your 3rd image...all cinch the species ID here as
P. furcillata
, rather than
P. marginata
or
P. tibialis
.
In fact, the range given for
P. tibialis
ends slightly south of Maine (in Massachusetts), while
P. marginata
is recorded from Florida to New Hampshire...though I guess it might sneak into Maine. But
P. furcillata
is definitely found in Maine...it's the most northerly (and easterly) nearctic
Physocephala
species, reaching to at least Nova Scotia (maybe beyond...I'd guess not many entomologist oventure very far beyond there often enough to know for sure).
Also visible in your third image is a bulge under the 4th sternite (though it's actually attached to te 5th sternite, but folded forward to rest below the 4th sternite). That's the female's "theca", used to grasp the unfortunate bee host for the
Physocephala
female's off-spring in mid-air flight, so she can insert an egg between the bee's tergites.
…
Aaron Schusteff
, 29 December, 2013 - 3:57pm
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Moved
Moved from
Thick-headed Flies
.
…
v belov
, 20 September, 2013 - 2:25pm
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Moved
Moved from
Flies
.
…
John F. Carr
, 22 May, 2013 - 8:31pm
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