Wikipedia

Bombylius

Bombylius is a large genus of flies belonging to the family Bombyliidae. They are known as the bee-flies, due to their striking resemblance to bees and bumblebees, and are distributed worldwide. One species of the genus, Bombylius major, is widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere and is very well known.[1][2]

Bombylius
Bombylius major
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Family: Bombyliidae
Tribe: Bombyliini
Genus: Bombylius
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
B. major
Synonyms

Physiology

edit
 
Bombylius major
 
Bombylius discolor flying

All species in the genus share a similarity with the unrelated bees and bumblebees, which they mimic, possessing a thick coat of fur, with a colour ranging from yellow to orange. They can, however, be told apart from their models by the long and stiff proboscis they possess, used to probe for nectar as they fly (much like a hummingbird), by their rapid and darting flight, and by the peculiar structure of their legs. As larvae, they are parasitic and infest the nests of solitary bees (and possibly wasps),[3] consuming their food stores and grubs.

Species

edit

European species

edit

North American species

edit

Species worldwide

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Hull, F. M. (1973). Bee flies of the world. The genera of the family Bombyliidae. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 687. ISBN 0-87474-131-9.
  2. ^ "Kendall Bioresearch Services".
  3. ^ Searching for the Right _target: Oviposition and Feeding Behavior in Bombylius Bee Flies (Diptera: Bombyliidae)
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bombylius.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bombylius&oldid=1133143945"
  NODES