Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#79998
Tachinid fly - Belvosia

Tachinid fly - Belvosia
Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, USA
September 28, 2006
Size: 13 mm
Four of these emerged from an imperial moth pupa (below) I'd been keeping (hoping for something larger and prettier, but, oh well :( ). Looks like genus Belvosia, perhaps? If other details are needed to make an ID to species, I still have them in the refrigerator (alive but chilled). Eggs must have been laid prior to 08/20/06, when I found the caterpillar.


Images of this individual: tag all
Tachinid fly - Belvosia Tachinid fly - Belvosia Tachinid fly - Belvosia

Belvosia
This is certainly in that genus. The likely Florida species are: argentifrons, borealis, luteola, slossonae and townsendi.

How disappointing
Tuskes et al. list 2 species from Eacles imperialis: Belvosia bifasciata and B. townsendi; also Drino incompta, Lespesia frenchii, and Winthemia citheroniae.
It may be worth keeping these as pinned specimens.

 
Well, in a way it was a relief
since I was pretty sure I'd killed it by digging up the pupa to photograph, anyway (per your comment on the pupa). At least now I can blame the flies. : )

I have no pinning equipment or expertise, but I'll hang onto these for a while and see if anyone's interested.

I found a lovely drawing of B. bifasciata here. Looks similar but the range listed here doesn't include FL. B. townsendi and some other spp. are listed for here, though. I also found out that they lay eggs on the host plant and the caterpillar eats them.

 
Monty Wood
is a world expert on Tachinids; as he doesn't list bifasciata from FL it's a good bet it doesn't occur there. But then again, these flies move around! I would definitely keep them. No expertise needed, simple kill the flies in a freezer and 'pin' with a fine needle through the thorax just off the center line so as to keep one-half of the thorax intact. Something like this .
Put a label on the needle and keep the flies in a small box with a foam base to hold the needle. Nothing else needed, just keep them dry and don't let cockroaches et al. eat them.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.